Weddings, Lifemates and Love
by Queequegg
Summary: A year after Nick joined the force, Nick and Judy have built the perfect life: roommates, partners and best friends, the two are practically inseparable. But while attending a coworker's wedding, Nick manages to spill a little more information than he had ever intended to share.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - A Wilde Wedding  
**

* * *

The sound of clinking glassware echoed through the crowded ballroom, drowning out the DJ's music as mammals gathered around tapping the edge of their drinks with a claw or a hoof. The newlyweds in the room were pulled from their own private moment long enough to acknowledge the the crowd's taunt and finally leaned in to share a kiss. The room erupted in howls and cheers as soon as their lips met.

Nick smiled and raised his glass to the happy couple, before tossing back the last of its contents. The bride, Officer Jane Hoveson was a sleek antelope and a beat cop from the precinct where he and Judy had been working as partners for the last year. She had generously invited her entire 'work family' to the celebration and the rowdiness of the crowd was a testament to cops knowing how to have a good time.

Finding himself grouped with the other single males from work, Nick gladly accepted the new pint glass that was shoved into his paw by a nearby bovine. Judy had made great strides in both predator-prey relations and also under-represented animals on the force. By the time he had left the academy, he found a much easier time being accepted as one of the team. Nick never thought he'd see the day that he would be accepted equally beside his colleagues, a mixture of predator and prey of all sizes, but he was proud to call the mammals of this precinct his friends.

The days of living on the streets and hustling his way to his next paycheck were long over and he loved his new life. He enjoyed being a police officer and for the first time felt like he really belonged somewhere, even more so when by the side of his best friend, roommate and partner. He had never known anyone quite like Judy and to say that she had improved his life would be an understatement.

With another sip of his drink he couldn't stop himself from looking for her, and it only took a quick sweep before he spotted the dark tips of Judy's ears across the ballroom. While he allowed himself the quick peek to check in on her, she was here with a date and he was trying his best to give the two bunnies their space. Although judging by her body language he got the impression that the young buck was not winning her over. He chuckled as he watched his frustrated partner stand ignored while waiting for her chance to dance, but it seemed that ' _Chad'_ \- was it? was more interested in the onlookers that had formed around him as he showed off his breakdancing skills.

Turning back to set his empty glass on the bar and chat it up with his fellow officers, he soon felt the familiar paw of his best friend tapping his arm. Anticipating the violet of her eyes before they were even in his sights, he spun around answering her with a wide smile. "Hey, Carrots."

"Come dance with me?" She asked, direct and to the point, well aware that she required no such lead up when it came to him. Her eyes were full of mirth and she was practically hopping in place, it was a face she damn well knew he couldn't say 'no' to.

Nick tipped his head, his left ear pointing in the direction of her date who was currently spinning on his head while the circle of mammals around him cheered. "You sure he won't mind?"

"I'm not even sure he remembers I'm here." Judy rolled her eyes with a groan, but quickly countered the reaction with an energetic smile and hooked her arm around his, pulling him away from the bar. "But there's a dance floor and I just want to shake my tail!"

Nick honestly didn't see the appeal and would just as well stand around knocking back beers, but something about the excitement in her eyes was contagious. A laugh escaped his chest as he let her lead him out into the crowded floor, her hips already shaking to the beat of the blaring music. Being smaller than the majority of the mammals in the room, they found a spot to the edge of the herd; no reason to risk getting themselves stepped on by a drunk pachyderm.

The lights were turned down and a sea of colorful bursts and shapes reflected off the disco ball and spattered across their faces. Judy's dress was some kind of slick fabric and it seemed to sparkle as she moved. As soon as they found a spot, she was dancing immediately, bouncing on her toes and swinging her head to the loud beat. Her movements seemed even more lively than usual, which is saying a lot for his peppy friend. Nick broke out one of his standard ridiculous dance moves which he paired with a smug grin. This quickly earned a burst of giggles from his partner, making him wonder just how many of those Carrot Cosmos she might have had while waiting. He himself was just starting to notice how much more tipsy he was now that his blood was pumping. They playfully circled around each other, hips swinging and goofy smiles plastered on their faces, it was more fun than Nick cared to admit.

Before long the string of upbeat songs ended and the tempo shifted to a slow romantic tune. Judy stopped mid-bounce looking slightly annoyed that the beat had changed just as she was getting into it. With a smirk that should have made him nervous, she stepped forward to take Nick's arms without hesitation. He couldn't say that he'd ever really slow danced before, but he took her cues and held up one paw in his, and let his other rest gently on her tiny hip. They transitioned easily to the new melody swaying to the song as though they'd been dancing a hundred times before. Nick shook his head to himself as he smiled down at his short friend, not at all surprised, that much like everything else in his life, with her by his side, he could do anything.

"You look really nice tonight." She smiled up at him, breaking through the exaggerated quiet of the love song. "Who knew you'd clean up so well?"

Puffing up proudly in his tuxedo, he made a point to completely ignore her slight, and let a grin break onto his cool demeanor. "Thanks, Carrots. You're not looking so bad yourself."

"Really?" She asked suddenly very serious. Her eyes wide and ears back, making her look even more small and vulnerable. "I've never been to such a fancy event before and I was worried I would look ridiculous."

"I told you when you bought the thing, it's perfect." He explained, referencing the same conversation they had had about a week ago at their apartment. "And I must say, you look absolutely stunning."

He wasn't lying, he thought she looked fabulous in the sleek emerald green piece, the way it hugged her toned thighs and hung to the floor at a slant. And while it was true that he couldn't remember another time he'd seen her wear anything fancier than a sundress at her family's farm, he'd certainly never describe her look as ridiculous.

"Thanks, Nick." He could see her cheeks glowing with a blush despite her best attempt to hide it by pressing her cheek into his chest as they danced.

He rather enjoyed how easy she was to fluster. Over their first year as friends, he'd gotten the impression that growing up in a family of such large proportions, meant that getting personalized compliments was not something that happened often. And while he certainly didn't mind providing them, the usual playfulness in his tone, the constant reminder that he could switch to teasing at any minute, seemed to be lost. He decided to blame the alcohol.

They continued to dance, swaying from side to side. Slowly spinning in their little area of dance floor, a perfectly timed parting of the crowd allowed the slightly taller fox a direct view of Judy's date, standing in the corner looking a little lost as what to do with himself.

"I think _Chad_ might be missing you." Nick teased with a gesture of his eyebrows in the general direction.

"It's his turn to wait, I'm enjoying our dance." She responded without budging from her spot. And Nick couldn't help the smug smile over once again beating out the date-of-the-night.

Not that there had been many, it wasn't as though Judy had been looking for them, she was definitely a career-focused bunny. But it seemed that her well-intentioned mother always had a list of potential suitors that were more than excited to take the train in from Bunny Burrows for a chance to meet the famous 'Judy Hopps', and Judy had a hard time turning them away. So far, each date had ended with a bored Judy arriving back at their apartment alone, complaining about something or another and there had yet to be a second date for any of them. Not that Nick was keeping track.

The song crescendoed and Nick took the opportunity to swing her out in a playful spin, causing her to giggle as she followed his lead. His sensitive ears pricked up as he heard Clawhauser and a few sergeants hooping and cheering them on from the sidelines. She tossed her head back dramatically as she met up with him again, her paw clasping back into place against his and his tail wrapping around her waist as he welcomed her back.

With a look of glee still etched into her features she smiled up at him as they set back into their earlier tempo of swaying.

"Why didn't you bring a date?" Judy teased, her long ears falling casually back behind her.

"What, and miss all of this fun with you?" He answered in a smirk, while squashing down the small amount of panic beginning to rise in his chest.

She removed her paw from his shoulder to playfully punch his bicep. "C'mon, we gotta find you a nice vixen to bring to these types of things."

"Dating is not really my thing." He shrugged, trying to answer as vaguely as possible while wondering how they had suddenly fallen to the topic of _his_ love life.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Judy questioned with a quirk of her eyebrow, a playful smile still on her face as they continued to rock, completely oblivious to her partner's increased discomfort.

"Oh, you know how foxes are. We're a one and done, mate for life type." Nick regretted the honest words as soon as they had left his mouth. What exactly was he planning to explain to her as they danced in front of all their coworkers? He scrambled for another excuse to cancel out the first one, but his suave ability to BS was for some reason not functioning.

Judy readied her reply without even considering what he'd said, assuming pretty much anything but authenticity from her best friend the former hustler. "How are you ever going to find the perfect mate if you never get out to meet anyone?"

"I've already found the one I want to spend my life with." He answered simply, though he wanted to slap a paw over his muzzle and stop the words from coming out. Briefly, he considered whether it was possible that his drinks had been spiked with some kind of truth serum.

"What do you even mean?" She giggled at the way his eyes had grown large, unaware that he was mortified by his own candidness. "The only mammal you ever spend time with is me…"

The song ended just as the last word slipped from Judy's lips, and the silence that descended around them feels perfectly timed to focus on the fox's humiliation. The DJ made an announcement, but Nick couldn't hear a thing above the beating of his own heart reverberating through his flattened ears. He doesn't move as he watches her own statement slowly sink in, her eyes growing wider as though mirroring the shocked face he was unable to hide.

Despite the lack of music, they had yet to move from their pose, one set of paws grasped together and the other set resting comfortably on a hip or shoulder. Judy's long ears fell limp as she looked up at him and her eyebrows began to cinch into the center. He knew her well enough that he expected at any moment her head would tip to the side, but whether her expression would turn to disbelief, confusion or pity, was unclear.

"Nick…" She began to say, but much to his relief, she was interrupted.

"You guys! You guys! They're cutting the cake!" Clawhauser was suddenly shouting from beside them, causing both to start, their grips suddenly releasing as though broken from some kind of daze.

"I love cake!" Nick turned to the robust cheetah grinning wildly beside him, leaving Judy with her mouth still parted, the rest of her sentence ignored. He forced a casual look of fake enthusiasm towards Benjamin in an effort to focus anywhere but at his partner.

"Well, c'mon, let's go!" Benjamin started off towards the table, nudging Nick's shoulder to push him along.

Letting out a deep breath, he allowed the cheetah to guide him through the crowd, so desperate to get away from the sad look in Judy's eyes that he was willing to abandon her. But with a quick glance over his shoulder he felt a mixture of relief and jealousy when he noticed Chad once again by her side, leading her away by the paw.

* * *

 **End chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Confessions**

* * *

Roughly two hours later, Nick found himself back at the apartment he shared with Judy. The group of singles had started to dwindle soon after the cake had been served and he managed to catch a lift home, knowing that Judy had driven with her date. Slowly trudging through the apartment he dropped his earlier discarded tuxedo jacket over the back of a dining room chair and opened the fridge, his brow scrunching together as he inspected the contents. With two bottles in hand, he collapsed onto their worn couch, tugging off his ridiculous bow tie and undoing the top two buttons of his dress shirt.

Cracking open the beer, he took a swig and couldn't suppress the long sigh that followed. Thanks to Judy's date reappearing by her side, he had successfully managed to dodge her and the questioning gaze she directed at him the rest of the evening. Eventually she would come home demanding answers to his cryptic confession, but for now it was more appealing to focus on maintaining his buzz while he turned on the television, desperate for anything to keep his mind occupied.

Before he could empty the bottle, his ears perked up at the sound of the front lock clicking open. Listening intently, he counted the footsteps, quickly deciphering that she had come home alone. Not that he was surprised, her dates rarely made it to the 'come up to my place' point. At first he had been offended, assuming that she was embarrassed to introduce her fox roommate and friend, but she had assured him otherwise. Lately, she had made it a point for any new suitors to meet him at the beginning of the date when possible, because as she had explained, it might be his only chance, if they were another dud.

Quietly, she padded into the living room, the small lamp in the corner illuminating the subtle sparkle of her sleek emerald gown. Dropping her purse and cardigan onto the coffee table, she cautiously sat at the opposite end of the couch, pulling her legs up to tuck beneath her. He gave her a polite nod to acknowledge her arrival, but otherwise kept his eyes trained on the television.

"That was some party, huh?" She broke the silence first, just like he knew she would. "I've never seen the captain cut loose like that. I mean sure, he'll toss back a few drinks with us after we wrap up a big case, but I've never seen him get his groove on."

She was trying to lighten the mood by making him laugh, and Nick couldn't resist the bait. He let out a low chuckle and took another sip of his drink. "His moves are even worse than mine." He added to her story, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

He could see Judy physically relax out of the corner of his gaze, her bare shoulders lowering as she sank further back into the worn cushions. He leaned forward enough to reach the other bottle, carrot water, and nudged it closer to her side of the table.

With a smile she picked it up, muttering a quiet thanks as she cracked it open.

"Did _Chad_ have a good time?" He teased. "You know I would have made myself scarce if you wanted to bring him up."

Judy just about choked on her water at the suggestion. "Oh please!" She laughed and coughed at the same time. "I mean, he was nice enough, but hardly worth keeping around."

"I dunno Carrots, he seemed pretty popular on the dance floor." Nick watched how her eyes lit up while she laughed.

"Well then one of his new groupies can date him!" She shot back. "He's still there dancing. I called a cab!"

"He's not?!" An incredulous look crossed his face.

Judy was full on laughing. "He is! I kid you not!"

They continued to laugh heartily, it could have been the remaining booze in their systems or the stress they had both been carrying since earlier, but it felt good to let loose. After another few minutes they both managed to calm their giggles. Nick was blotting his eyes with the fur on the back of his paw, wet with gleeful tears.

Judy spoke up, turning in her seat to face her friend, a serious look on her face. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

Nick froze, his eyes wide, caught off guard by her questioning. But quickly he shifted his demeanor and leaned back trying to act casual. "I tossed back a few too many at the reception, so let's just say I didn't."

It was clear that she wasn't about to buy it for a moment. "Nick, you basically told me that you think of me as your lifemate."

He reached up quietly and scratched the back of his twitching ear as he considered how much more to reveal. But it was clear that there was no getting out of this now, it was time to come clean.

"Is that really so odd?" He finally asked with a raise of his brows as he gestured around their minuscule apartment. "Look at us, we live together, eat our meals together, hang out on our free time…"

Judy opened her mouth to argue, but seemed to lose her train of thought as he continued.

"...and then we go to work everyday, where we are _literal_ partners!"

"Well yeah," She finally coaxed out a response. "We're roommates and work partners."

Nick's chin dropped forward and one eyebrow quirked up. "Is that _really_ all we are?"

"And best friends." She added like it was so obvious it shouldn't have to be stated. But then her ears fell back and a look of sadness washed over her. "I just… I thought you were okay with being friends."

Nick shifted across the couch to move in closer, placing a paw beneath her velvety chin and lifting her gaze up to meet his. "I'm absolutely okay with it. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"But Nick…" Her eyes glistened and he could see the guilt welling up behind them. "I don't want you to give up on finding love and happiness because of me."

"Carrots," Nick smiled and cocked his head to the side in his best 'you should know me better than that' type manner. "Who said I wasn't happy? I'm very happy."

Judy blinked back tears and let a smile break out as she waited for him to explain.

"Having you in my life has done nothing, but improve it. This: what we have here, this is enough for me…" He watched her smile widen and her face soften as he continued. "And when you find the right one and you're ready to settle down, get married and have a whole _warren_ of tiny little kits, I don't want to get in your way."

Judy's eyebrows popped up, and he assumed she was impressed with his correct usage of rabbit terminology.

"… though I do hope whoever he is, he's open to the idea that I will always be your best friend." His green eyes lit up and and he smiled as a daydream hit him. "I can be crazy uncle Nick!"

The fox chuckled a bit at the thought and sank back into the couch beside her, his tail curling its way between them. Judy still had her long feet tucked up under her, and her smaller size left her leaning into Nick's weight dipping the center of the sagging cushion. She let her head fall onto his shoulder as they both relaxed and trained their eyes back on the television. The tips of her ears tickled the edge of his face and he playfully swatted them away.

"I don't know why I never even considered it - being your lifemate. I had completely taken it off the table." She spoke up without moving from her cozy spot.

"It's the interspecies thing, not to mention a predator-prey relationship is pretty much unheard of." Nick explained in a casual tone, despite his heart speeding up at her topic.

"Well a bunny copy was unheard of before I came along." Judy piped up from beside him.

"Very true my dear, you've made big strides against stereotypes." He nudged his elbow into her side playfully.

"And yet," Judy sat back up and turned to look closely at her friend beside her. "I didn't think it was possible for you to find me… for you to think of me that way."

Nick's head whipped to face her, his ears perked up, alert. His tone was both soft and serious as he set the facts straight. "Just because you aren't a fox, you didn't think I would be attracted to you? That I wouldn't be able to fall in love with a caring, funny, annoyingly optimistic and beautiful bunny?"

He could see the shock in her large violet eyes that she tried to suppress, it was clear she really hadn't thought it possible.

"You're in love with me?" The question slipped from her lips in a whisper.

He paused to consider the ramifications of his answer, but the hesitation was brief. "Yes."

His eyes were locked on hers as he gauged her reaction. She didn't seem overly upset, but she wasn't exactly jumping for joy either. Instead she looked deep in thought, staring down at her paws folded in her lap. He scrambled to think of something to say that would ease her mind and fix his mistake.

"But I understand that it's one-sided, and I've already accepted that."

"You know, Nick," She lifted her gaze back up to meet his, her expression was soft and optimistic. "Just because I said I took it off the table, doesn't mean I'm opposed to the idea."

He blinked in surprise, his tail excitedly flipping around to his other side in anticipation of what she might say next. He couldn't squash the little bit of hope he felt rising in his chest as she went to speak again.

"You know what all those males that my mother sets me up with, have in common?"

His face contorted to confusion, not expecting this shift in questioning. And he couldn't prevent the sarcastic tone that slipped out. "You mean besides the fact that they're all your own species?"

Judy looked him straight in the eyes, her ears standing up tall as she took his hands in her own. "They're not you."

Nick felt his heart drop into his stomach and was pretty positive that it might have skipped a few beats in the process. He felt both energized and exhausted from the stressful rollercoaster of an evening as he watched her violet eyes sparkle with joy.

"Are you saying...? Do you really mean...?" Nick couldn't remember how to finish a sentence, but he also didn't really mind as he smiled down on the face of his best friend.

Judy just nodded with enthusiasm, her ears bouncing up and down as she moved. A smile so wide it lit up her entire face. "I'm saying, that maybe I didn't realize it at the time, but I think things never really worked out with any of them because I've already found my lifemate too."

Nick could feel his own goofy grin stretch across his face as she continued.

"And I'd be willing to give 'us' a try." She squeezed his paws, still held tight in her own. "If you're willing."

"Judy, I can think of nothing I've wanted more."

She stretched up and placed a soft kiss on the end of his muzzle, causing his eyes to lazily fall shut, a look of pure contentment on his face. Judy wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled up against him, practically curling into his lap as his arms encircled her in return.

"You dumb fox," She snickered into the fluff of his fur poking out from the top of his open collar. "you should have told me sooner."

"You know, I expected the sly bunny to figure me out by now." He teased back. But before he could follow up with his next quip, he was silenced by her soft lips on his own.

* * *

 **The End**

 **AN: Ok, it happened, I wrote fluffy Wildehopps fic. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist the adorableness of this pair and yet I tried. (Don't worry my TMNT readers, I won't abandon my old fandom)**

 **Anyways, I hope I lived up to the expectations of all you Judy/Nick fans out there. I liked the idea of Nick completely aware of his love for Judy and basically willing to accept a completely platonic lifemate if it meant being with her. But of course, I couldn't resist letting these two fall in love, because - gah they are so cute! Whether you ship them or not, I think the platonic relationship these two have should be everyone's goal!**

 **So… I'd love some feedback. Was it good? Terrible? Should I write more or run from the fandom with my tail between my legs? (hah - pun intended)**


	3. 6 Months Earlier

**AN: A reviewer suggested an add-on to this fic, where we see Nick realize his feelings for the first time. I was hesitant to add this to the existing story, because I like where that one ended, but I also can't stop myself from writing more on these two, so I may as well share it!**

 **Big thanks to** **XxFIRESTAR44xX (** **xxfirestarxx on Tumblr) for the beta read!**

 **And thanks to my readers for all of the positive feedback on the first 2 parts – you've all inspired me to write more of this cute couple!**

 **XX**

* * *

 **6 months earlier**

As with any other lazy Saturday, Nick found himself crawling out of bed very late in the morning. Padding softly into the tiny kitchen, his tail poking out the back of his pajama pants and dragging along the floor, he took in the heavenly aroma of freshly made coffee awaiting him. As per usual, his peppy roommate had most likely been up for hours making the most of her day off. And because Judy truly was the best, she always refilled the filter and set the timer to start a new pot after enjoying her own coffee, long before the sun was even up.

Drinking in silence, he plopped himself down into one of the two kitchen chairs, and pulled the day's newspaper over to his side of the table. It was laid open to the funnies page and Judy had circled a comic strip she knew he'd find amusing. With a smirk, he shook his head at the antics in the small black and white panels before closing the paper and pushing it aside in favor of his phone.

Sitting and reading emails on the small device, the fox enjoyed his coffee, allowing the warm caffeine to negate his nocturnal instincts that begged him to return to his warm bed. Centuries of evolution may have changed most of their more primal instincts, but Nick believed it couldn't be all coincidence that he was the exact opposite of a morning person. He had just finished refilling the mug for a second time, when his ears perked up, hearing his roommate come in through the front door of their small apartment.

"Hey roomie." He called out into the hallway, as a courtesy to let her know that he was up and she didn't need to be so quiet.

"Hey sleepyhead." She replied in a voice that was much too chipper for his level of awakeness.

She bounded into the kitchen, an armful of groceries in her tiny paws. "I got a few things to get us by, we were running low on everything."

"Thanks, Carrots." Nick smiled, hopping down from his chair and grabbing one of the bags to help unpack. Their kitchen was tiny and had very little storage, and between the pair they were atrocious cooks. Which meant their "grocery shopping" consisted of stocking up the most basic of supplies; mainly coffee, and snack food.

Emptying the bag, Nick spun around just in time to catch the protein bar that Judy had tossed in his direction; Crickets and chocolate, his favorite.

"You really should have something other than coffee." She teased with only the tips of her long ears visible, her small frame hidden again behind the fridge door as she finished placing the rest of the food away.

"Who said I didn't already eat a giant breakfast before you got here?" He grinned mischievously, tearing into the wrapper.

Knocking the refrigerator door shut with a hip Judy let out a forced laugh. "Yeah right, you're not even dressed and still sipping coffee. I'd say you've been up for… 20 minutes." She hypothesized, quirking an eyebrow at her own cleverness.

Admittedly, she was correct within a few minutes. Not that it surprised him; one had to be pretty perceptive to be out solving crimes for a living. And after having been roommates for the last few months, they had grown to know each other even better than before. He couldn't remember having such a close relationship with anyone.

"You got me." He smiled back before breaking off a large bite of the bar with his sharp canines.

"You are so lazy!" She teased, but her smiling face gave away that it was just friendly poking. "I've already finished all of my errands."

"Hey, it's our day off. Just because you like to keep yourself busy, doesn't mean everyone else does."

Making a point to dramatically roll her eyes at him, she picked up his empty coffee mug off the table and placed it in the sink. Nick just shook his head and tossed his wrapper in the trash bin as he made his way into the living room and plopped down onto the couch.

"Hey," He called, raising his voice so Judy could hear as she followed him in. "How about a movie? I can run to the rental box down the street - I think that new crime-mystery you were going on about finally came out."

"Ooh, 'Sherlock Holstein'? I've been dying to see that one!" She propped herself on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, I know." He replied with a snigger. "But of course, I expect you to sit through a comedy with me too. I never did figure out why you would want to entertain yourself with movies that are way too similar to our lives." He followed up with a little shiver to express his distaste.

"Oh actually," She hopped down, avoiding his gaze. "I just remembered. I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Nick turned towards her with a raised brow. "You got a hot date or something?"

Judy's cheeks instantly reddened and her ears drooped. The reaction piqued Nick's interest and he sat up straight on the couch, ears alert and tail whipping around to his other side.

"Wait? You DO have a date! Hoo-ho-hoooo!" He whistled through an ecstatic grin.

Judy crossed her arms and failed to hide a pout. "It's nothing exciting, just a lunch date."

"So who is this guy? Tell me more!" Nick leaned forward in his seat, his enthusiasm fueled by her embarrassment.

"It's nobody!" She stomped a foot on the floor. "Stop teasing!"

"Ok, ok, sorry Carrots, I was just giving you a hard time." Nick raised his hands in defense, but also holding back a laugh. "Why am I just finding out about this, you're acting like it's some kind of secret?"

"I'm not, it's not…" She stuttered, looking away. "I just planned things this morning, that's all."

Seeing her nerves, Nick suddenly felt guilty for poking fun. "Ok, I'm sorry. No big deal, I hope you have a good time."

"It's fine. And I'm sure I will." Judy stood up a little taller, her ears became straight as arrows in an attempt to look more confident. "Anyways... I'm going on a run."

"Yeah, alright." Nick stood up off the couch as he watched her bolt from the apartment. "I should get ready anyways." He continued to talk, the guilt in his chest feeling heavier in the now empty room.

* * *

Nick showered and got himself ready for the day while Judy was out. Standing under the stream of hot water, his wandering thoughts could not meander away from the topic of Judy's secret date. The constrictive sensation he was feeling in his chest continued to grow and the longer it remained, the more he wondered if he could really blame it on guilt. Sure, he felt bad for making Judy so embarrassed that she practically fled from the apartment, but there was something else he couldn't quite put his paw on.

Since becoming partners, he and Judy were practically inseparable. The other officers at work teased them that they were more like an old married couple, but Nick had never really minded it. Judy was the perfect compliment to himself and he knew that he was better for having her in his life.

When they had first considered the idea of becoming roommates, there was no doubt they could make it work. There was no worry of them driving each other crazy or grow tired of one another. And so far, it had held true. They enjoyed spending their time together, and whether it was at work, or home, it didn't seem to matter.

The truth was, he wasn't used to the idea of sharing Judy with anyone and the thought of it made his fur scruff up. And that feeling in itself was very unsettling.

* * *

Lounging on the floor in the living room, a throw pillow tucked under his head, Nick basked in a band of warm sunlight coming through the window. With his mind still reeling, he was trying his darndest to focus on reading the latest 'Harry Otter' book when Judy returned from her jog. He noted that she had taken much longer than usual, but wasn't about to call attention to it. She came in through the front door and headed straight to the kitchen to grab one of her carrot waters from the fridge, before joining him in the main living space.

Her face was flush and her fur damp with perspiration. Still breathing heavy, she cracked open the bottle and downed a good third of it in one go.

"What page are you on?" She asked between breaths, light and casual, all previous irritation towards him long gone.

Nick glanced down at the digits in the bottom corner, his mind had been so distracted he hadn't turned a page in a while. "228." He reluctantly admitted.

"Ugh, hurry up and get to the end so we can talk about it!" She gently kicked the bottom of his foot with the tips of her toes, both to give him a hard time and also to silently request that he schooch over and make room for her to stretch.

Setting her phone and earbuds on the small coffee table with her water, she plopped down on the floor near him so she could stretch out the backs of her thighs. Nick couldn't stop his eyes from wandering as he watched her lean forward over her legs to reach for her elongated toes. Outfitted in a sports tank, he appreciated the view of her sleek back muscles rippling under her light grey fur.

Suddenly it occurred to Nick that he had been watching her way too closely and he retracted his stare with a small shake of his snout, ducking back behind his book. _Whoa, was he just checking out his best friend?_ No, he rationalized with himself, there was nothing wrong with admiring her beauty, friends can think friends are beautiful, it was totally natural. While she may be a rabbit, he had always thought that Judy was very pretty. Even on that very first day they had met, when she donned a silly little safety vest and a meter maid hat that pushed her ears back.

Another few stretches and the rabbit threw herself flat on her back, her head cushioned by the fluff of Nick's bushy tail. She let out a contented sigh and he watched her eyelids flutter shut as she lay still in the warm sun beside him.

"You know, if you slept in until a normal hour, you wouldn't be so tired by midday." Nick teased, finally flipping to the next page.

"I'm not tired." She mumbled without moving. "Just taking advantage of this cozy spot."

"You mean, _my_ cozy spot." He pointed out with a gentle nudge of his foot against her side.

"Oh I didn't realize you had dibs on this section of the floor." She propped herself up on one elbow to get a better look at him, ensuring he could see the fake-judgement in her eyes.

"Only when I'm already laying here." He flicked his tail, just right to reach up and tickle the back of her neck unexpectedly.

She sprung up from her spot in a heartbeat, flicking around to narrow her eyes at his trickery. He smirked in her direction and she couldn't stop herself from laughing.

Nick couldn't hold back either and soon his own laughter joined hers, filling the room with cheer.

Once her giggles were under control, she playfully stuck out her tongue. "You sneaky fox."

"You know you love me." He retorted his infamous response, reserved for when he was driving her crazy.

"For some reason I do." With a dramatic eyeroll for his benefit, she started to leave, adding over her shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower."

Her soft steps padded from the room, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts. He smiled to himself as he considered that this was his favorite part about being friends with Judy; they were so comfortable with one another. They could joke and tease and lay around with nothing exciting going on and just enjoy each other's company.

Once again trying to make sense of the new and uneasy feelings that had crept up on him that morning, he realized that was what bothered him about Judy's date. It was a reminder that she eventually wanted more; to find a mate, maybe even have kits of her very own. One day she was going to leave this life they had set-up. Granted, they hadn't had it for very long, but these months since Judy returned to find him sulking under that bridge had been the best months of his life and he didn't want them to end.

But the sad truth was, he knew he couldn't blame her. Sure they were great friends, and amazing partners, but when it came to marriage and kids, it was something he couldn't provide.

Besides, it's not like he or Judy even wanted anything more than had drawn that invisible line long ago that neither wanted to cross. At least, he assumed she wouldn't want to cross it. While inter-species relationships weren't completely unheard of, they were still rare and often met with judgement. It was even rarer to find one that crossed over the predator/prey division. All too aware that Judy took a lot of guff for being the first bunny cop and having a reformed-grifter fox for a partner; he certainly didn't want to make her life any _more_ difficult.

He knew that he cared deeply for Judy, but it was in a platonic best-friends kind of way. _But, was it?_ His brain suddenly asked, the very question making his insides flutter with imaginary butterflies.

Pushing the confusing thoughts aside, he tucked back into his pillow and focused on the book propped up on his chest.

Not two pages later, his withering focus was broken by the "bing" of Judy's phone, which she had forgotten on the coffee table. Twitching his ears towards the hallway he confirmed that the shower was still going; it was no use to take it to her until the water stopped. A duplicate "bing" went off indicating that another message had been received.

The tones made him realize that he did not have his own phone, and must have set it down elsewhere. He decided that he better make sure it wasn't anything urgent and clarify that the precinct wasn't trying to get ahold of them. Begrudgingly he sat up and stretched forward to reach the annoying device perched on the nearby table.

The small screen was lit up with the new messages, indicated by little green bubbles beside them. A quick glance confirmed that it wasn't the office, and he moved to place the phone back and avoid any further snooping, when he accidentally caught the word 'date' within the first bubble of text. Tipping his muzzle up, he looked down the hall to confirm that Judy wasn't going to see him and read the full message unabashedly.

'Looking forward to our date! Just checking in to make sure the time still works?'

Nick scanned down to the next one.

'I was thinking we could also walk through the traveling photography exhibit at the Modern Art Museum afterwards? Excited to see you.'

The tip of Nick's nose scrunched up with disgust, though he wasn't certain why, the guy seemed nice enough. Thankfully, the message itself was bland, but the thing that really caught Nick's attention was the name that sat in bold letters above the bubble: Scott.

 _Scott? Who the heck was Scott?_ He wondered to himself. He practically spent all of his time with Judy, how was she planning dates with people that he didn't know?

Unable to ignore this new information, his detective mind went to work, deducing the various possibilities. It could be online dating, he considered. Though honestly Judy seemed too focused on her career right now, he would be very surprised if she had gone out of her way to set something up. No, he was sure the date was most likely instigated by this _Scott_ character.

 _Hold up, he has seen that name before_. He closed his eyes while shuffling through vague memories and encounters until recalling the small green name badge with the mysterious male's name engraved on it. Scott; the koala barista at the coffee shop near work.

Of course! That guy shamelessly flirted with Judy every time they were in there. He envisioned the way her eyes would light up when _Scott_ greeted her, the way her cheeks would pinken when he would whip out some compliment as he handed her the change. _Ugh, that guy._

Just then, he heard the bathroom door creak open and scrambled to quickly place the phone right back where it had been moments earlier. Tossing himself back onto his pillow, he crossed one leg over his knee, picking up his book and attempting to act cool and collected.

"Hey Carrots, your phone just beeped." He hollered out, though their apartment was small enough that it wasn't difficult to hear each other from the opposite end.

"Thanks." Judy entered moments later with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. Light grey fur looking darker when wet, adorably pooffing up from towel drying.

Hidden behind his book, he watched her slyly as she picked up the phone to read the messages. Long ears perked up as her eyes scanned the screen, a small smile breaking across the corner of her mouth.

Unexpectedly Nick felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy to see someone else make her smile like that. That was _his_ smile. The smile she gave when he cheered her up after a long day, or surprised her with a favorite snack at work. He felt the edge of his lip twitch in irritation.

Completely unaware of his internal reactions, Judy walked back towards her room. The smile still etched on her face as paws sped across the touchscreen, sending a response.

* * *

The day had gone on rather slowly from that point and eventually what had become late afternoon was now transitioning into early evening. Nick had tried his best to keep occupied on his own, but found himself moping around without his usual companion by his side. He had taken a nap and went on a walk, did a couple of errands including stopping by the movie rental box just as he had originally planned, but was still uncertain what to do with himself now that he was back home.

It was ridiculous really, he had lived on his own for the majority of his life. Pulling hustles for a couple of hours and then lazying around without a care afterwards. Sure, he would meet up with Finnick, but outside of "work" the two rarely hung out. The more he considered it, the more he chided himself over not being able to handle one day without Judy. Sometimes it boggled him how someone so small had made such a large impact on his life.

Part of the problem was that if he didn't occupy himself, his thoughts would immediately wander back to Judy.

He entered the kitchen simply to make some popcorn, but as he stood listening to the sporadic pops, his mind drifted back to earlier that day when she had come to say she was leaving. Nick had been scrounging through the refrigerator for something to eat, when Judy poked in her head.

He tried not to stare as he took in her appearance. For anyone that didn't know her, they might think she was dressed conservatively for a first date, but he lived with her long enough to know that weekends were typically reserved for yoga pants and tee shirts. While her flowy summer blouse and cropped pants might seem casual, he noted the added jewelry and springy purse that pushed her attire into the next notch up, she was definitely hoping to impress. But, the fact that she didn't feel the need to dress flashy was one of the many things he adored about her.

Smiling, he wished her a fun time. The earlier embarrassment about the situation seemed to hit her again and she was suddenly mumbling her goodbyes while quickly retreating from their home with a pink tint beneath her fur.

Pouring his popcorn into a bowl, he made his way into the living room and sank into the couch, all the while trying his best not to imagine her out having a great time on her date. Probably walking hand in hand with that smug little koala by her side.

And then suddenly it hit him - she was out with another species. Something he had originally considered improbable. In fact, he had always concluded that the fact he wasn't a bunny was the biggest reason they had silently agreed to just be friends. Sure, a koala was on the same side of the predator/prey division, but really, he could argue that a fox had more in common with a bunny. Their ancestors were both from meadow type environments, lived in burrows and gave birth to kits; way more similarities than that tree-dwelling marsupial! If she was going to date outside of rabbits, than why hadn't she considered him?

At that thought Nick had to pause. That was it, he was jealous. There was no denying it, he wanted to be the one taking Judy on a date. Holding her hand in public and making her laugh at his witty jokes. He sat tall and physically took a gasp of air, the sinking realization creeping over him, making his fur stand on end. He, Nicholas Wilde, the sly fox, had completely fallen in love with his best friend, who just so happened to be a rabbit.

He couldn't even pretend to deny it. His heart began racing as he allowed himself to daydream what would happen if she returned his feelings. It was only a first date, maybe she was _trying_ to make him jealous? She did seem more flustered than usual about the whole situation.

 _No, she's not interested_. The logical side of his brain betrayed his wishful thinking. Tossing a handful of popcorn into his mouth, he felt his ears perk up at the click of the front door unlocking. He wasn't sure why, but he held his breath while waiting for her to find him in the living room, the place where they both retreated at the end of a long day.

"Hey." She said with a smile, dropping her purse onto the coffee table.

Nick swallowed the lump of food and smiled as naturally as he could muster, considering he had just realized that he was head over heels in love with the woman standing across from him. _What was he going to do? Should he confess? Would she be able to tell?_

"How…. was your date?" He finally decided to start with something easy.

"Oh it was fine." She answered, rather blandly.

"Just fine? You guys didn't hit it off?" While she considered his question, he focused on the shorter hairs around her eyes, the way they stuck out from her brow creasing.

"It's not that, Scott was nice enough and all, I dunno." She shrugged a little and then collapsed next to him onto the sagging couch, helping herself to a handful of popcorn. "He was just, kind of boring."

"Really?" Nick could feel his heart rate speed up at her words. _Was it possible that she was comparing this bland barista to a certain reformed hustler?_

"I feel terrible admitting that, but there just wasn't a spark, you know? And he's an accountant; an exciting day for him at the office is basically my worst nightmare of having nothing but paperwork." She made a little disgusted face for his benefit and he rewarded her with a small chuckle.

"Well, if there's no chemistry, do you two at least have something in common?" Nick replied cooly, checking off mental tallies next to both of those items for himself.

"Just living in BunnyBurrow. Otherwise I felt like we didn't have much to talk about."

This comment caught Nick by surprise, and he tried not to let it show. "BunnyBurrow, you say?"

She nodded while chewing on another mouthful of popcorn.

"You mentioned his name was Scott, and I instantly pictured that barista from the Snarlbucks by work." Nick fudged his way through his explanation.

Judy's eyes went wide and her ears perked up in surprise. "Wait, the koala?" Her little nose cringed up in response and she shook her head. He tried not to take offense at her reaction.

"Is it so weird to consider?" He responded as evenly as he could manage.

"No, it's not that. I don't have anything against dating outside of species, it's just… that guy is a _sleazebag_! He hits on everyone." Her tiny pink tongue darted from her mouth as she once again expressed her distaste for the guy.

That response set his mind at ease once more. "Ok, so NOT that guy." He held up his hands in defense. "I've never met anyone else around here from BunnyBurrow, so I made an assumption."

"My mom set us up. He was in town for the day." She replied with drooping ears. "She thinks I'm never going to meet the right guy." Her voice grew quiet as she finished the sentence and he noticed the rosey tinge once again in her cheeks.

"Don't be embarrassed that your mom is looking out for you." Nick assured, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer. But inside he felt all the hope and daydreams from earlier burst apart into a million tiny fragments. She had been on a date with a bunny after all, and while she hadn't protested the idea other species, it's clearly not what her or her mother had in mind. He had been stupid to let himself indulge in such wishful thinking.

She leaned into his sideways embrace, a small sigh escaping her lips. "She doesn't understand that I'm not ready to settle down and get married yet."

"You're still young, you just started your career. There's no rush." Nick offered in agreement.

"Exactly! Plus I'm perfectly happy right now; I've got the job of my dreams, and... I have you." She nuzzled into his side with a soft purr and Nick felt a wave of joy wash back over him. She was right, what they had right now, this was good. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardize this.

"Oh yeah!" She bounced up from her seat and grabbed her purse off the table, sliding out a DVD box from inside. "I felt bad for ditching you without any warning, and since it wasn't too late, I stopped by and rented that comedy you were wanting to watch." She wiggled the box around, advertising the title 'Goatbusters' while triumphantly waiting for his reply.

He felt the corner of his lips turn up as he reached around to the table beside him and grabbed another DVD box. Holding it up in front of her, he revealed the detective movie she had been so excited about.

And then it happened, that smile of hers, the one he would do anything for, lit up her petite features.

"I thought you didn't like 'crime dramas'?" She teased, but her beaming grin betrayed the fact that she knew darn well he had gotten it for her.

"What can I say, Carrots? I aim to please."

"Nick, you're the best!" She jumped into his chest with a big hug, nearly knocking over the popcorn bowl in the process. With no concern for his snack, he leaned forward on the couch to make the position a little less awkward, returning the embrace. A whiff of his sensitive nose noticed that she was wearing the blueberry perfume that he loved so much.

"Go ahead and get it started!" She sprang back from his arms. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable!"

With a smirk he shook his head, watching her puffy tail retreat around the corner and into the hall.

Yes, this was okay. He was certain he could live the rest of his life being this happy. He knew it wasn't destined to last forever, and eventually there would be other gentleman suitors that he would politely step aside for. But if this little bunny was willing to let him be part of her life, he'd take it, for however long it lasted.

* * *

 **AN: I dunno, I worried that all of the introspection made this a little boring, but hopefully the scenes with Nick/Judy interacting made up for it! Sometimes I like to see how good a pair works, even in the most mundane of situations - it helps show how completely comfortable they are.**

 **Thinking I'll add one more part, to pick up where the first part left off. Or perhaps a time jump a bit into the future? Preferences?**


	4. Tailored Revelations (another prequel)

**A/N: Ok, so I know I said I was going to pick up where the first part left off, but then I was hit with this idea.**

 _Summary: Nick had always been a private mammal when it came to his personal life, but a random moment brings out another revelation for Judy._

 _'Weddings, Lifemates and Love' takes place roughly 1-year after Nick joins the force, and this one takes place about 9 months before that._

 **Many thanks to** **xxfirestarxx** **for the beta read and helping with some plot brainstorming for how to end this!**

 **A little 'slice of life' type story that takes place even a few months before the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Tailored Revelations**

Short on breath, Judy ducked into the passenger seat of their police cruiser. Wiping her brow, she took a deep sigh, allowing the cool of the air conditioner to wash over her. Short on time, she had opted to sprint the last couple of blocks, and the sweltering heat of Sahara Square was making her regret the decision.

"You are seven minutes late." Her partner teased from beside her. Holding his refilled drink from lunch, he sipped casually from the long red straw. His seat was reclined and he was basking in the warm sun that shined through the window, lighting up his fur to a fiery red. Despite his comment, he seemed to be in no apparent hurry.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. This little old ferret in front of me was counting out her change in nickels!" Judy rolled her eyes towards the heavens, still exasperated by the memory. Grabbing her own drink, she downed the last of it, grateful for the melting ice that had kept the iced tea chilled, if not a bit watered down.

Nick placed his drink in the cup holder and pulled the lever on his seat, ratcheting himself back into an upright position. "Mark this day, at-" He paused, pushing his sunglasses up on top of his head to make a show of reading the small digital clock in the dashboard. "-1:07pm. Judith Laverne Hopps knowingly took an extended lunch break to run a personal errand."

"Ugh, I cannot believe my mother told you my middle name." She groaned. "And I didn't mean to be late. I know I didn't really have enough time to be running an errand, but we were right by the store and it's on the other side of town from my apartment, I didn't want to have to come back later…"

Nick cut her off before she could continue. "Carrots, I'm just giving you a hard time. Seriously, I promise I won't tell anyone about your _total disregard of work ethic_ , all in the name of..." He eyed the small bag she had placed on the floor beneath her feet. It had a picture of a pin cushion printed on the side of it, the name 'Craft World' seemingly stitched above it. "...crafts?"

She watched as one of his ears cocked to the side and his smirk changed to confusion, surprised at the reason for her tardiness.

Before he could even break into a new line of teasing, she started to explain "I needed some fusible stitching–it's used for temporary hemming."

"Oh, I know what it is, but you risked your _work performance_ because why?"

She glanced up at him with one eyebrow raised judging his face for his level of B.S. before continuing with a sigh. "My dress uniform; the pant legs are way too long and I needed a quick fix before our meeting with the new mayor tomorrow."

Nick shook his head as if he wasn't surprised, wearing his favorite 'you're such a cute little country bumpkin' face. However, which part of her explanation caused the reaction was not clear until he spoke. "That is a terrible way to hem pant legs. You're probably going to scald your pants if you are lucky to get the iron hot enough to even make it work."

"I know!" She griped again, annoyed that his 'know it all' topics even covered basic sewing techniques. "But it's better than the masking tape and safety pins I scrounged together last time."

With this comment, the red fox had the audacity to laugh at her. "I'm surprised a short little thing like yourself doesn't know how to make a proper hem." He clucked his tongue in the form of a motherly 'tsk'.

"I _can_ sew!" She refuted, her nose twitching in agitation. "I grew up on a farm with 200 siblings, of course I know how to sew. But you've seen my apartment, I don't exactly have room to keep a sewing machine around."

"Your apartment hardly has room to keep the _cockroaches_ around." He sniggered without missing a beat.

"Oh, is it small? I hadn't noticed." She narrowed her eyes in his direction, ears bending forward in annoyance.

"And dingy! Don't forget that part. It's small _and_ dingy." He added emphasis to the last two words, a smile prickling the corners of his lips, proud of himself for getting under her fur. "Seriously Carrots, you've been with the ZPD for how long now? It's time for an upgrade."

Her less-than-ideal living quarters was a popular topic of discussion for the fox and aside from the fact that she had to agree with him, she had gotten pretty good at ignoring it.

"Well that's a concern for another day, for right now I need a sewing machine and I can't seem to find one to borrow, so this will just have to do."

"Well you certainly didn't ask this mammal." He placed a light paw on his chest and feigned a hurt look.

Unamused by where this was going and completely convinced that he was hustling her, she rolled her eyes dramatically before asking in her best monotone. "Do _you_ happen to have a sewing machine I could use?"

Nick perked up with a smile and put the car into gear, tapping his aviators down off his forehead and into place. "Of course I do. What kind of cave-mammal do you think I am?"

Realizing that Nick was getting ready to pull out, Judy had to turn her questioning stare away long enough to get her seat belt properly buckled into place. "You seriously have one? Why on Earth do you have a sewing machine?"

Merging into his lane, he shrugged. "Family heirloom."

"Well ok then." She finally replied, once again surprised when Nick's random shenanigans turned into something. "I need them for tomorrow, would it be ok if I came by tonight after work?"

"Sure. I'll order some some Bamboo Garden for dinner and we'll make a night of it."

* * *

It took Judy a good hour after work to go back to her apartment to collect her uniform and take the subway out to Nick's neighborhood. It wasn't necessarily what she would call the 'bad area' of town, but the old rundown development that sat about as far away as you could be from the center of the city, certainly wasn't known for being the nicest.

After being buzzed in, she hopped her way up the oversized stairs in his mostly large-prey occupied building, taking care to not let the garment bag drag on the filthy ground. Arriving at the front door of his apartment, she found he'd already cracked it open for her expected arrival.

"Hey." She called out, letting herself in and closing the door behind her, clicking the lock into place out of habit.

"Hey Carrots," Nick rounded the corner from his bedroom and passed the front door. "C'mon in, I've got it set it up in the kitchen."

His apartment, while larger than her own, was basically made up of 3 small rooms; a kitchen, living room and bedroom, all connected by one narrow dark hallway lined with old peeling wallpaper. She followed his swooshing tail into the last room where there was just enough space for a wall of kitchen appliances and cupboards on one side. And on the other side there was a narrow table tucked against the wall, currently being dwarfed by a rather impressive piece of machinery.

"Wow, you weren't kidding." She commented, unable to hide her surprise that not only did he actually own a sewing machine, but that it was indeed worthy of the term 'heirloom'. "This is much fancier than the one my mom taught me on."

Walking around to the front of it, she leaned in to admire the polished metal on the tiny knobs. It was obvious that a lot of care and maintenance had been put in to retain its pristine condition. Even more so in stark comparison to his dank kitchen, consisting of outdated and overused appliances. She ran a tentative paw across the top, gliding along the smooth curved edge. While a tad large for her, it was clear it was made for a smaller animal, though it seemed to have adapters to adjust for other sizes of clothing. She could sense Nick watching her with a proud sort of look on his face.

"It's been forever since I've sat down to sew something, I'm not sure I even remember how to thread this thing." She commented quietly.

"Here," Nick opened a small tackle box of sorts that was placed beside it, and pulled out a box of pins to toss her way. "I'll thread. You get that prepped."

With a smile she set to work, pulling her suit pants out of the flimsy dry cleaner bag and laid them out on the kitchen table, smoothing them across the hard surface. Removing the hasty safety pin from the last time she'd worn them, she used its placement as a guide for her straight pins. With a glance over her shoulder, she saw Nick pull two spools of thread from his tackle box and held them near the matching shirt of her uniform left at his end of the table, before settling on one and sitting down at the machine.

It was clear he was familiar with the task, as he effortlessly laced the thread through the loops and twists, readying the machine to do its job. She had been so focused on watching him work, that she had neglected to finish her own task.

"Your pins are facing the wrong way." He spoke, shaking her from her stupor. Looking down she verified that she had indeed set the first few the wrong way. Feeling the heat in her cheeks, she shook her head at her own mistake and pulled them back out to adjust.

"May I?" He spoke again, the proximity as he stepped up beside her, causing her to jump and the fur at the nape of her neck to stand on end.

Stepping back from the cramped table, she watched him with one eyebrow raised so high it might have flown away. In his paw he brought a seam gauge which he used to measure her first mark, before removing the other pins, smoothing and straightening the fabric with much more precision than she had bothered with. Moving with more ease than she could have possibly expected, he replaced the pins around the bottom of one leg and continued onto the other side. He wore a nonchalant smirk and acted as if this was a completely normal thing for him to be doing.

Unable to hold back her amazement any longer, she finally asked, "So what's the deal Nicholas?"

He looked over at her, ears back in focus, holding a couple of pins pinched between his lips on one side. "What? A guy can't know how to sew?"

"That's not what I said." She shook her head, feeling the tips of her ears slide across her shoulders. "But as the guy who survives on takeout and just opened his first ever checking account last month, I have to admit I'm a little surprised to see you knowing your way around something so… _domestic_."

He chuckled at her comment causing her to recall his explanation of how the 'art of hustling' was a cash-only business and there was no need for a checkbook. But seriously, Judy believed there was just some things you should have accomplished by the time you reach your 30's.

"This was some kind of con wasn't it?" She asked, coming to the first conclusion that seemed logical.

"It may have aided in a few 'jobs'." He smiled tight-lipped to keep the pins from falling out. "Finnick's elephant suit - I made that beauty."

"But... but how did you even learn to do that? _Why_ did you ever learn?" Judy brain was still struggling to accept this new information.

His brief laughter had quieted down, pulling the last pin from where he held it between his lips on one side, and shrugged before fastening it into place. "My dad was a tailor."

Judy felt her eyes go wide and her ears perk up in alert, as though waiting to see if they'd somehow misheard him. It was the first time her friend had ever spoken of his father. There had been hints and subtle conversation clues that had led her to believe he had passed some time ago, but she hadn't dared come right out to ask about him.

If he had noticed her reaction to his little tidbit of news, he didn't let it show. Picking up the pants– which looked ridiculously small in his large paws– he took them over to the machine and sat down in the chair. He began lining things up as he continued his revelation.

"He had this dream to open a suit shop, one that catered to all sizes of mammals. Wanted it to be a family business; ' _Wilde and Son_ ', taught me everything he knew." He didn't look up from his task as he spoke. Flipping the switch on, he eased his foot down on the pedal, causing a whir as the sedentary parts started churning.

Unsure if she dare pry for more information, she stood behind his chair watching him, but he left the last bit hanging as he worked in silence, already finishing up the first leg. With a deep breath, she worked up the courage to ask, "What happened?"

"With the shop? Even just 20 years ago was significantly worse for foxes, nobody would loan him the startup money." His shoulders seemed to sag a little at the memory, but broke out of it when he reached over to pull a small pair of scissors from his box, clipping the fabric free.

"He never gave up on that dream," He continued on, almost talking to himself. "...all the way up until he got sick."

Judy felt her heart clench at the way his voice quivered just a fraction at the last word. Even without her superior hearing, she saw the way, his tail had fallen limp, the casual way it typically swung back and forth having ceased. Without saying a word, she reached out and placed a soft paw on his shoulder. At the feeling of her touch, he paused in his work, turning to cast a smile in her direction.

"You're a lot like him actually, stubborn and persistent in that way only dreamers can be. He would have liked you."

Judy met his eyes and returned his smile. Abruptly, he turned back to his project, the machine whirring to life once again. Within another moment he seemed to be whistling a random tune to himself, his tail twitching in rhythm and his demeanor shifting to cool and collected, the moment apparently over.

Knowing he was a private mammal, Judy couldn't help but feel a special connection to her friend when he took the opportunity to share a bit of his past with her. He had admitted once that he couldn't believe he had opened up so easily that first day they had met, riding the sky tram after the Manchas attack. And she accepted that such insights would be few and far between.

Caught up in her thoughts, Judy hadn't even noticed the sound of the machine had stopped until Nick was pulling the fabric free, clipping off the loose threads and standing up to shake it out.

"Ta da!" He rang out with a grin that displayed just how proud of himself he was.

"Nick, this look great!" She complimented, holding the new seams in her paw to inspect. "Your Dad would be proud of this fine work."

Just as the scoff that she was expecting barely began to creep across his face, she held up a paw to stop him. "No, I'm serious. You two would have made a great team, your dad taught you well. I'm sorry he didn't get to accomplish his dream."

Nick stopped his knee-jerk reaction as soon as her paw had gone up, and instead shifted it into a genuine smile and nodded at her comment. "Yeah well, that was a long time ago."

"I'm happy to know a little bit about him, it sounds like he was a good man."

"He was." Nick nodded quietly, a sombre look on his face, as she could only assume his thoughts drifted off to long lost memories of his younger years.

With the weight of the fabric in her arms, she stood across from him in the cramped and dilapidated kitchen that fell silent, save for the clunky hum of the refrigerator threatening to give-out at any moment.

"Thank you." She spoke softly so as not to disturb the quiet easiness. The words themselves held deeper meaning, but the explanation that she wasn't simply thanking him for the sewing was not needed.

Pulled from his thoughts, his chin dipped forward as he looked down to lock eyes with her. "Only for you."

He muttered the response with an air of casualness that Judy did not feel. Despite his 'don't let them see they get to you' demeanor, she understood that it really was a big deal for him to trust someone. And currently, the list of friends he truly opened up to, consisted of one.

The blaring door buzzer broke the moment, causing them both to start from the sudden jolt of noise. Nick's ears reflexively shot up in response to the sound and he instantly reverted back to his carefree façade. "There's the food! I'll go buzz him up."

He hurriedly made his way to exit the kitchen, appearing almost thankful for the distraction. Pausing at the doorway, he turned to make a suggestion. "You want to try those on and make sure they fit?"

With a nod, she followed him down the hallway to his single bathroom.

The old warped door creaked in the familiar way it always did, as she struggled to force it shut. Swapping out her comfortable cotton pants, for the stiffer suit pair, she opted to hang them over the towel rack, not wanting them to touch the grimy floor.

With another groan, she forced her way back out and caught a whiff of the spicy stir-fried veggies that Nick had just collected and carried into the living room. Despite the fact that he actually had a kitchen table, they always ate meals from his couch, usually while entertained by something on television. She watched from the doorway as he busied himself placing the delivery on the coffee table before settling into the couch, his tail wrapping up beside him.

Waiting until he looked up, she wiggled her hips suggestively and strutted down the center of the room as though it were a catwalk. Pausing to strike a pose, she flipped her ears back dramatically over one shoulder before spinning around in place to show off the pants from all angles. Despite her playful attempt at modeling, she was rather aware of how ridiculous the dress pants clashed with the loungy top she had worn over and couldn't stop herself from laughing as she posed again with her paws in her pockets.

A goofy grin in place, Nick let out a whistle. "Looking good, Carrots. No more fashion faux-pas for you!"

"Thank you." She tried to use a sultry voice, but it was lost in another giggle from their silly antics. Dropping the charade, her ears popped back up into place as she stood up more naturally. "Ok, but seriously, now that I know about this hidden talent, I may have to call on it again in the future."

"Well, I've been known to be bribe-able." He waggled his eyes before giving her a quick wink. "I'd make you a whole dress for a couple of cartons of fresh blueberries from your family's farm. Or your very own elephant suit."

Judy let out a guffaw. "I'll have to remember that."

"Now go change back so we can eat! You'll be mad if you get soy sauce on them."

Snatching up the garment bag from the kitchen table, Judy took it with her into the bathroom. With another quick swap she was back in her comfy civilian clothes, ready to lounge out and eat. After washing up, she was attempting to shut off the tap, before accepting that the rusted faucet seemed to have a perpetual drip.

"You know," She commented as she exited his bathroom after again wrestling to get the door opened. "I'm not sure you should be giving me such a hard time about my apartment when you're living in this dump."

Nick nodded as he finished slurping up a scoop of his noodles. Munching around the mouthful of food he commented. "Hey, I never said my place was nicer. But notice that I have room for belongings. As in _more than one_ room!"

With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Judy plopped down next to him on the couch and took the proffered take-out box he handed her. "At least I'm closer to work, it's a 30 minute subway ride to get out here!"

"You know, this actually brings up an idea I've been kicking around." Nick said, pointing at her with a cricket trapped between the ends of his chopsticks. His curious tone and sudden shift in topic making her ears stand up in anticipation. "Would you consider splitting a nicer place with a roommate?"

"Are you suggesting the two of us?" She asked, with more hope in her voice than she had intended, she would feel foolish if he hadn't meant it that way. But she'd be lying if she said she hadn't considered it at least once.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged, and she was instantly relieved that she hadn't made the wrong assumption. Digging down into his box for the next bug, he added, "I bet we could find something closer to work that would be an upgrade for both of us."

Judy scrunched up her face as she considered the question. "Are you sure you wouldn't get tired of me?" She narrowed an eye watching for his reaction.

Much to her delight, he scoffed at her with a playful laugh. "Carrots, we're practically together all the time as it is. If I was going to get tired of you, it would have happened by now." He lifted an eyebrow and pointed an ear in her direction. "I think the concern is more in your court. Can you live with a fox without going crazy?"

"Well... I am used to living with roughly 250 annoying siblings… you certainly couldn't be _that much_ worse." She emphasized the last words as if the comparison would be a close call. Looking over the top of her take-out box she smiled cheekily at him.

"You wound me, Carrots." He dramatically held a paw over his chest. "How could I possibly live with such treatment?"

Judy let out the laugh she was holding back, enjoying the intended reaction. "You know I love you - you big dork!"

"True true." Nick's face of mock-hurt transformed to amused, but serious. "So does that mean you'd consider it?"

"Consider it?! Go get your laptop and we can start searching right now!" She was practically hopping in her seat with excitement.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Nick set his food on the coffee table to go get his computer from the other room.

With her forgotten dinner still in her paws, Judy fidgeted on the soft couch cushion, her mind reeling with anticipation. While at first, she rather loved her miniscule apartment and having a space to herself to call her own, the truth was, after the first few months she'd found it rather lonely. Going from an overflowing home full of bunnies to a small and very empty one-room apartment had been quite the transition.

And Nick was right, since he had graduated from the academy they did spend practically all of their time together; be it at work, or off-the-clock. And those months he had been gone training were probably the hardest time she had ever had. Their nightly check-ins via text and frequent calls had not been enough, she had truly missed her friend, and now the possibility of becoming roommates caused a warmth as her insides ignited with joy.

Before she could dwell on the idea too much, he had returned beside her with his computer in hand, already pulling up the local Cowslist Ad's for apartment vacancies. The remainder of their evening was spent in laughter and friendly banter as they argued and selected their best options to start viewing later that week.

* * *

The very next morning, Judy sat inside her tiny "studio" apartment getting ready for the day. Looking around the small room filled her with excitement, knowing that soon, she would no longer be contained to the loneliness it held.

She had never had a roommate before, if you weren't counting the hundreds of relatives she grew up with. And despite the small amount of trepidation tickling the far corner of her thoughts, the opportunity to become better acquainted with her best friend kept any worry at bay.

Perched on the edge of her creaky bed in her underwear, she admired the dark blue dress pants in her paws, now perfectly hemmed, thanks to Nick. She took another moment to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of his work. It was amazing how he still managed to surprise her, even after a full year of friendship.

Slipping into the pant legs, she stood up to jiggle her tail into place before fastening the waist. Standing tall, she smiled down at the way they hung perfectly across the tops of her elongated feet. Once again, catching herself shaking her head at Nick's hidden talent.

To think that something as simple as a mis-measured pair of pants could bring them closer together, but then again, their friendship had certainly started off in its own unique way. As her Dad always liked to say, 'life is unpredictable like that'.

She couldn't help but feel a great sense of anticipation for the next little scrap of info into his life. If there was one thing she knew for certain about her fox friend, it was that she certainly didn't know everything. And discovering these bits and pieces were one of the things she loved about their relationship. She was an open book and one day, she knew he'd eventually share his own story in it's entirety.

End chapter

* * *

 **A/N:** **Someone on Tumblr suggested the idea of Nick's dad still being a tailor (as seen in some of the concept art) and that because of this, he was stupidly good at sewing….and then as I was sewing a costume for Comic Con and my mind created this while I worked.**

 **Hopefully it was at least entertaining - I hope to eventually wrap this story up with a final chapter that takes place after the night of the wedding from part 1.**

 **Thanks again for reading! Please leave a comment if you liked it, they make me so happy!**


	5. Chapter 5 - The new apartment

**A/N: One last prequel that ties back into where things left off…**

* * *

 **9 months before Jane's wedding**

The single window air conditioning unit churned and groaned as it worked over time in an attempt to cool their newly acquired apartment. The sweltering heat wave beat down on the uncovered windows, and the front door –having been propped open to move in their stuff– negated any cooling effects the tiny machine could supply.

The discomfort provided by the sauna like conditions could do little to squash the excitement and joy buzzing off his bunny roommate, keeping her moving about as though fueled by rocket propellant. But Nick was at the point of barely being able to stand it. His coat of fur felt thick and unmanageable, like he was cocooned in a down blanket he couldn't remove. And as soon as they had finished stacking the many boxes around their limited furniture into the center of the living space, he had suggested some cold and caffeinated refreshments from the coffee shop down the street.

Not at all surprised that Judy had opted to stay behind, he ordered her favorite iced coffee drink along with his own and stood waiting, enjoying the brief blast of chilly air within the café. When his order was called, he tucked the small bag of supplies he had picked up from the convenience store next door (some new sponges and a pack of lightbulbs) and carefully collected a drink in each paw.

It had taken a little over a month to get into their new place since Nick had first suggested the idea of being roommates. Availability hadn't been any issue, but finding one in such a 'prestigious' area of town that was willing to let a fox sign a lease had been a bit more of a hassle.

Judy, was of course furious at the unjust treatment of his species, and didn't hold back in letting such mammals know how she felt about it. But sadly, after the 3rd or so place, she had come to recognize and expect that same patronizing look he had been getting his whole life. He didn't even have the heart to explain to her the extra bit of judgement tacked on by the few who also made assumptions that they were some kind of 'weird' predator/prey interspecies couple. That was an embarrassment he'd rather his naive friend stayed in the dark about.

Finally the assurance of having Judy listed as the primary name and also a flash of their badges had found them in a rather nice building with a 5 block walk to the ZPD Town Center station. Their building was made up of mostly prey mammals of small to medium sizes, but the unbalanced mix was rather common and Nick had assured Judy that he'd be comfortable as one of the only predators there. Besides, the price for the location and spacious apartment couldn't be beat.

At first, feeling rather embarrassed for Judy to have to take part in the ridicule that came with being segregated by species, Nick actually found that he was warmed by her willingness to stand up for him. Honestly, it was the same way she'd stand up for any mammal being treated unfairly, but the gesture was still not lost on him. He made sure the drink he carried for her in one paw was topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup, just as she liked it when she felt like splurging on calories. And seeing as how they had probably already sweated off a few pounds that morning, he felt they deserved it.

Back in their building, he made his way up the main staircase, taking the smaller sized steps two at a time. The steady rise of temperature only got worse as he approached the fifth floor, causing him to pant in the stagnant air. Outside their door, he stopped to rearrange his contents and free up a paw to turn the knob. Pausing when he noticed that Judy had placed her cheery carrot-decorated 'welcome' matt where he stood, eliciting a goofy grin to break across his face.

Once the door was open, he shifted the extra drink back to his open paw– not trusting the way it had been balanced on top of the other–before knocking the door shut with his hip.

"Hey roomie!" He announced with a smile, making use of the same nickname she had been excitedly using all morning.

A muffled reply rang out from an unknown location and his ears perked and twisted to seek out the source, but he could not spot her among the boxes and furniture haphazardly piled in the center.

The sight made him shake his head, since the majority of the items were Judy's. Expanding from the closet-sized place she had been in before, had prompted her to bring more of her belongings from home on her most recent visit back. And he was rather surprised with just how much she owned to her name.

In the center of the pile was a rather large bookcase with a doored cabinet attached at the bottom, that had been a hand-me-down from one of their coworkers. The piece in question was sized for a wolf and stood much taller than everything else, dwarfing the rest of the room in its presence.

It was then he noticed that the bookcase seemed to be moving, he eyed it tip precariously before landing flat on its feet again. With a yelp, he dropped his bag and drinks on top of the nearest surface and raced towards it, zigzagging between piles to reach the item. Only then, as he rounded a tall stack of boxes did he make out one of Judy's ears peeking out from behind the edge of the large piece of furniture.

He let out a relieved sigh, that it was not in danger of falling over, just being moved. She had her back pressed up against the lower section of the bookcase and was using her impressive, muscular bunny legs to push with all her might, slowly inching the solid wood object across the floor.

"What are you doing?" His voice rang out, not meaning to sound like a parent scolding a child.

Judy stopped her pushing and stood straight, wiping her brow with the back of her paw as she looked around the case at him.

"Hey!" She chirped with a surprised smile, as though not realizing that he was so close. "I'm just moving this beast so I can unpack a few boxes onto it."

"Why didn't you wait for me?" He asked, gesturing wildly towards the gargantuan piece of furniture.

Judy's brow scrunched, confused at his questioning. "I thought we had already decided it would fit best on that wall?" She asked with an uncertainty in her voice.

They had indeed suggested that wall when the movers had first brought it in, but the area had already been piled with other things, and so it was left in middle of the room. Despite this fact, that was not what currently had Nick concerned. "But why didn't you wait for me to get back to help you?"

A flurry of emotions crossed her small features, already flushed from the heat and exertion. He was not expecting the reaction as he watched her smile quickly shifted to a frown and her nose began twitching in agitation. Next, her ears dropped low before crossing her arms in front of herself and thumping one foot on the ground. "I can manage just fine on my own, thank you!" She spat at him.

"Carrots,–" He started his backpedal, not realizing the dangerous ground he had just stepped into, but she cut him off before he could get very far.

"I certainly didn't get where I am today by waiting around for someone to help me!"

Her foot was still moving in an angry rhythm, but he could see the flicker of hurt in her eyes instantly making him regret his choice in words. He had inadvertently made her feel as though he found her incapable or weak, something that was not only false, but outright laughable. The both of them had struggled with a life of always being underestimated, and it was certainly a feeling he never intended to project on her.

Making sure his tone was soft, he held out his paws, pads up in a gesture of forgiveness. "Judy, that's not what I meant. I know that you _can_ do it on your own. I've seen you do many impressive things and I wasn't trying to imply that you _required_ my help."

He paused to gauge her reaction, and nodded with a small smile when he noticed her features soften and her foot arrest its movement. Satisfied that she was listening and not deaf with rage, he continued on.

"Just remember, that you don't _have to do_ everything on your own anymore. Because you have me now." _And I have you_ , he added silently to himself. "I know you don't _need_ my help, but I'm here, so maybe try and let me sometimes."

If possible her ears drooped even lower and his heart clenched at the sad look on her face. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad.

"You're right." Her voice was laced with guilt. "I don't know why I got so defensive, I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey it's okay. C'mere." He opened his arms to invite her into a hug, and just like that day under the bridge, she stepped into it, wrapping her arms lightly around his waist and letting her forehead fall against his chest.

Looking down at the top of her small head and droopy ears, he felt the need to lighten the mood. "Plus, I mean why did I spend all that time at the academy getting ripped if you aren't gonna let me show off these muscles?" He held up an arm and pretended to flex a bicep much more impressive than the ones he sported. Judy laughed into his chest, but didn't let go of her grip around his waist.

With her laughter muffled against his shirt, she added a zinger of her own. "Also, I'm probably gonna give you a complex if I'm better than you at _everything_." He could hear the smirk in her voice, despite being unable to see her face.

"Ha!" Nick let out a guffaw, continually impressed with how quick she had gotten with her snappy comebacks. "You're so thoughtful, Carrots!"

Judy stepped back from the embrace as her chuckle died out. Looking up at Nick, her expression turned back to serious. "I'm sorry I got upset with you, that was totally uncalled for."

"It's okay, I understand." He offered her a soothing smile to help prove his point. "We can both be a little sensitive when it comes to others underestimating us."

"It still bothers you?" Judy asked, a skeptical brow raised.

"Of course it does." Nick let his shoulders slump. "The way all those landlords would look at me and then back over to you, as if questioning your sanity over trusting a _fox_ to share your home and cover his half of the rent… yeah, it still bothers me."

Judy looked hurt at the reminder. "How are you so good at hiding it?"

"'Never let them see that they get to you', remember?" Nick smiled in a defeated manner. "I've unfortunately been practicing that for a very long time."

"Hopefully by sticking together, you and I can make a difference; help remind the world that we're more than they've made us out to be." Judy suggested with confident smile.

"That's certainly a worthwhile cause, Carrots. But I was planning to stick by your side no matter what." Nick grinned.

This made the little bunny laugh, and he hoped she didn't doubt the truthfulness of his statement. Not wanting to turn down a path of dark thoughts, he instead looked back over his shoulder to spot the drink he had brought her.

"I got you whipped cream." He pointed at the sinful concoction left sitting precariously on one of the boxes.

"Ooooh Nick! How could I live without you!" She hopped around the many boxes in her path, making her way to the treat.

He smiled at her response, following her through the maze of boxes and hoping that she'd never have to.

* * *

 **Present day - the night of Jane's wedding**

For some reason, this memory had flooded Nick's mind as he and Judy kissed for the first time. Despite the elation he felt hearing Judy confess that she considered him her lifemate too and that she was willing to give the two of them a try as a couple, it couldn't stop his cynical mind from worrying over what that meant for her future.

He wished that the world was a simple as she'd made it sound to be, but the truth of the matter was –that just by association with him–, she would be judged differently. And that was something which racked him with guilt, no matter how much he yearned to be with her.

It was enough that he eased their gentle kissing to a stop and simply wrapped his arms around her, giving himself a moment to think.

* * *

 **End chapter 5**

 **A/N - okay ya'll we're finally about to catch back up with present day in the next chapter! Thanks for sticking with me!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Present Day

**A/N: Picking back up in present day... many thanks to my beta:** **xxfirestarxx**

* * *

 **Present day: The night of the Jane Hoveson's wedding**

5 minutes later

Still donned in the fancy attire they had worn to the wedding, Judy sat snuggled up in the warmth of her best friend's lap. His arms and bushy tail were wrapped around her much smaller frame, holding her close to his chest. It wasn't the only time she had ever sat in Nick's lap, it had happened on a few rare occasions, but it was certainly the first time he held her in such a way that made her feel so loved and protected.

Moments earlier, there had been kissing. Mismatched lips delicately pressing together, heads tipping as they found the perfect angle for their differently shaped muzzles. It had been soft and slow and comfortable. More comfortable than it should be; kissing the male who at the start of the day had been strictly her best friend. But definitely sensual enough that she could feel her skin flushing beneath her fur. And before the embraces could turn any more heated, Nick enveloped her into his arms and held her tight against him.

They sat now in silence, save for their pounding heartbeats that Judy's sensitive ears could have picked up from the next room over. Nothing had been said since she had playfully scolded him for keeping his feelings secret for so long. He joked that he expected the 'sly bunny' to have figured him out by now, but the truth was, she really hadn't.

Nick was a hustler by nature, a smooth-talking, truth-bending grifter and he used it to his advantage at every chance. He could dish out a lengthy explanation that left one walking away nodding their head in agreement, before realizing - often times too late- that he had never actually answered their question. He tossed around casual compliments and flirty suggestions as a way to detract attention from something else. It just so happened that this time, he had been successfully detracting Judy's attention away from the fact that those feelings he joked about were in fact real.

That's not to say that she hadn't noticed her own growing affection towards the red fox. She had always thought he was handsome, and then that day at graduation when she saw him in his police uniform for the first time, the way it so nicely hugged his newly defined muscles, her breath had hitched and she couldn't ignore the way her heart sped up. She had no choice but to accept that her mind had promoted him from handsome to attractive. But as she had explained, she had never really considered romance with him an option. So instead she wrote it off as simply the close fondness of an everlasting friendship. Because foxes and bunnies dating just didn't happen, or so she had always thought.

Even if the idea hadn't felt so ludicrous to herself, she had also felt fairly confident that Nick was unable to see her as anything other than a 'cute little bunny'. Oh how wrong she had been.

"Are you nervous?" She spoke into the quiet room, her voice muffled from being pressed into the front of his tuxedo shirt, tufts of creamy fur poking out from the unbuttoned collar. "Your heart is racing!"

"Nervous, excited, freaking out; take your pick, Carrots." Despite his response, his face was momentarily cool and collected, it was clear that his mind was busy working through many emotions.

Pushing herself loose in his arms, enough so that she could lean back and get a good look up at him, she peered into his brilliant green eyes. "It's just you and me, there's no reason to panic."

"That's exactly the reason. I've had a lot of time to dwell on the idea of 'us'," He started to explain, motioning between the two of them with a paw, the slightest of creases around his brow now betraying his concern. "And I'm worried that you haven't thought all the way through this. Are you sure this is where you want to be? The path you want to choose? Being in a relationship with a _fox_?"

The last word dripped off his tongue like acid, as though "fox" was a bad word, and it made Judy cringe internally. She could never take back that day of the press conference, where he had challenged her backwards thinking and misguided rationalizations towards the predator population. It was suddenly very clear that he had stopped their kissing because he had doubts, afraid that she was just caught up in the moment.

Judy reached forward and placed one of her small paws on his cheek, guiding his eyeline to meet her own. "Can we make this work?" She asked, turning his question into her own, just as he had taught her. "It will have its challenges sure, but we've gotten around them without too many issues, thus far."

"We can't change what we are Judy, you'll always be a rabbit and I'll always be a fox. I don't want you to ever look back and feel like you made the wrong choice, goodness knows there's plenty of bunnies in the world."

"Nick, you are the most important mammal in my life and the _best_ and _closest_ relationship I've ever had. Nobody else can top that, rabbit or not. And, if you're looking for some confirmation on whether or not I could be attracted to a fox…" She paused watching his ears perk up and his shy eyes flicker from the distance back to meet her own. "Yes, I absolutely am."

"Really?" He asked, a smile slowly forming, raising his lips on the side to reveal pointy canines. "Even with these scary sharp teeth?"

Judy grinned in return. "Yes. And even with those pathetically short ears."

He scoffed. "Well, I guess if I can look past your sorry excuse of a tail."

She playfully smacked his arm, her mouth dropping open in fake offense.

He only allowed his giggle to last briefly, before shifting his tone. "Seriously though, I've spent way more time thinking about this than you have; there's a lot of things to consider: the reaction from work, your parents, hell society in general! And then there's the big topics like children and —"

Judy's small paw clamped his muzzle shut gently and she caught his gaze.

"I appreciate that you are worried about this, I do. But there's no reason to rush into this. Let's maybe at least go on a few dates before we start considering the logistics of children, shall we?"

She raised a brow and got a small nod in affirmation before she released her grip.

"Look at you being so logical and rational." He teased. "It's like you're a seasoned police officer or something."

She stuck out her tongue before adding her cheeky reply. "Look at you being so emotional, it's like you're a bunny or something."

"I meant it when I said that I consider you my lifemate, Judy." He took her small paws in his own, as he looked into her eyes. "I _really_ don't want to screw this up."

"I don't either Nick. I mean it when I say you are the most important mammal in my life." She gave a little squeeze of her paws to help get across her point. "Let's just start with a date and see how it goes."

"In that case, what are you doing tomorrow?"

* * *

 **The next day**

Standing in front of her open closet, Judy let out a sigh. _This was Nick_. She reminded herself, he's seen me in everything from frumpy pajamas to the fancy evening gown she'd worn the night before. But he'd also seen her leave for dates on more than one occasion and she didn't want him feeling like she had put forth any less effort just because it was him.

With a roll of her shoulders she made the decision to go with the flowery summer dress. Sure, it was nothing fancy, but since she wasn't in the habit of wearing dresses very often, he hadn't actually seen her in it before.

Slipping it on, she stood in front of her mirror smoothing it into place. The straps were wide and the neckline was modest, but she couldn't help the blush that made her inner-ears turn dark pink, knowing that she was wearing it for him.

Picking up her phone, she made a quick time check and was startled by a rap at their front door.

Brows knit together, she wondered who would be coming by their place on a Sunday morning. Finnick stopped by on occasion, but rarely unannounced and never before noon. If it had been a friend from work, they surely would have called first. Perhaps it was a neighbor or a solicitor?

"Nick?" She opened her door just enough to stick her muzzle through and called into the living room. "Could you get that?"

She waited a beat, but when no response came, she opened her door wider in search of her roommate. "Nick…?"

Noting the open door to the bathroom, she lifted an ear towards his room, listening for the sound of his fur dryer or some other indication that he was in there, but found only silence. That was odd.

After the late hour of the reception the night before, and the combination of both having had a few drinks as well as staying up talking and cuddling with a few more rounds of shy kissing, they had slept in late. Judy had awoke in her bed, realizing right away that she must have eventually dozed off on the couch and Nick had carried her to her room at some point. Groggily, she had shlepped into the kitchen finding him, for once, awake before herself, handing her a freshly brewed cup of coffee with a smile.

"Good morning." He had greeted.

"Good morning indeed." She agreed, taking the proffered beverage from his grasp. A smile breaking across her features when his paw brushed with hers and she had a mini flashback to the way that same paw had danced across her fur as they kissed.

"I was thinking, since we slept in, how about we make this a brunch date?"

"That sounds lovely." She nodded before taking a sip, savoring the rich brew.

"Head out in an hour?" He clarified, looking quite nervous despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Perfect." She nodded before setting her mug on the counter and stepping in for a hug.

His arms wrapped around her without hesitation and he leaned down over her petite frame, capturing the top of her head beneath the curve of his chin as he let out a sigh of relief.

That had been approximately 55 min ago and she was struck again by the strangeness of his absence. The knock repeated itself from the front door and she delayed any further questioning to answer it.

Still distracted by his disappearance, she opened the door without even looking out the peephole and let out a surprised breath when she found the very fox she had been searching for on their front door mat.

"Wow." He said when her eyes locked with his own emerald ones. "You look amazing."

"Thanks..." Judy trailed off, wondering why exactly he was waiting for her outside his own front door. "What are you doing out here?"

"Picking you up for our date, of course." He smirked before revealing something that had been hidden behind him and handed it over; a blue glass vase with a colorful arrangement of wildflowers.

"Thank you!" She replied a little flabbergasted while accepting the gift. "I can't believe you snuck out to get flowers. I hadn't even realized you left."

"That was part of what made it a surprise, Carrots." He teased with a grin. "Emmett says 'hello', by the way."

Judy's jaw fell open and she pried her eyes away from the gorgeous arrangement. "You went all the way to Mr. Otterton's flower shop?"

"Let's just say that I was able to work out a special delivery because of my connections." He winked. "I asked for an assortment of flowers that are native to Bunny Burrow. Hopefully he didn't let me down."

Judy nodded as she recognized the various flowers that grew in the wild throughout their farm. Taking in a whiff, she let her eyes fall shut for a moment. "It smells like summer evenings on our back porch. I love them. Thank you."

Nick tipped his head in acknowledgement of her thanks, before putting his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'm here to pick you up, if you are ready to go?" He asked with a wink.

"Such manners." Judy teased with a paw to her chest, amused by his shenanigans. "Let me just set these down and grab my bag." She spun back around and into their apartment and he stepped in behind her, letting the door fall shut.

Placing the vase on their kitchen table she grabbed her purse off the wall hook, taking one last quick look in the mirror hanging there to verify she was presentable and then hurried back to where he was waiting by the door. Returning, she took in his own attire for the first time.

His usual gaudy Hawaiian shirt had been replaced with a solid navy guayabera that complemented his bright red fur nicely. Surprisingly, he had opted out of wearing a tie and instead left the top couple of buttons undone, and the shirt hanging untucked with his khakis looked both comfortable and put-together for their brunch date.

"You look great as well." She complemented watching him fluster a little under her gaze, his tail flitting about nervously behind him.

"Thanks." He ran a nervous paw back over his ears before shoving it back into his pocket.

"Is everything alright, Nick?" She asked with a gentleness in her tone.

"Yeah, it's fine, I just… I just wanted to give you a chance to change your mind about this."

Judy was surprised by his comment, having thought that the evening spent snuggled up on the couch should have made her intentions clear. Maybe he was worried that after sleeping off the cocktails and seeing it all in the light of day had somehow changed her mind, but he needn't have worried.

Stepping forward she stretched up onto her tiptoes to place a light kiss to the end of his muzzle, speaking softly as she lowered herself back down. "I'm not going to change my mind. I'm in if you are."

With his lips turned up in the corner, he held out a paw, "Then let's go."

They decided to stay casual, sticking to something that felt familiar; opting for their favorite greasy-spoon; 'Sal's Diner' that they often frequented while on patrol. It wasn't very close to their apartment, so they had never been by on their day off which made it still feel special.

Entering the small diner, they made their way to their usual booth in the far corner (a mid-size one that accommodated them both nicely). The place had a retro 50's feel to it, all the way from the jukebox in the corner, to the black and white pictures decorating the walls, to the bright red vinyl covers on the booths and metal stools that lined the long counter.

Betty, a small bobcat that usually worked the day shifts greeted them from behind the counter. Following them over to their seat she set a pair of menus on the table.

"Hey y'all! Ah almost didn't recognize ya' without yer uniforms." She commented in a friendly drawl, her large red earrings bobbing beside her as she talked.

"We're off the clock today, darlin'." Nick replied leaning in with a smile anyone else might have seen as flirtatious, but Judy knew it was just how he got on people's good sides.

The waitress giggled with a blush before replying. "Anything special on this beautiful day?"

"We're on a date, actually." Judy leaned in with a grin of her own, watching the way Betty physically retreated a few inches back from Nick's side of the table.

"Oh." The bobcat glanced between the two with a look of mild surprise emphasized through her cat-eyed glasses. "Well that's just lovely. Can I start ya' off with the usual drinks?"

"That'd be great, darlin'." Judy repeated the pet-name in a civil tone, though it was clear she was calling dibs on who got to do the flirting with whom, this particular day.

"OJ and a regular coffee on the way."

"Bring a pot, Betty, I'm nursing a bit of a hangover this morning." Nick added with a waggle of his eyebrows and another mischievous grin causing Betty to giggle again as she retreated toward the kitchen.

Nick slunk back into his booth before turning his charm back to Judy's playfully irritated face. "What? I am! Those guys from the station just kept handing me drinks."

"You are such a flirt!" Judy teased with an amused smile on her face as she shook her head.

In reality, she was thankful that the interaction with the waitress seemed to have eased up his nerves a bit. He had been uncharacteristically quiet on the walk over and now appeared more his usual not-a-care-in-the-world self.

"Says the bunny who always giggles when barista-Scott gives her extra whipped cream." Nick raised his eyebrows as though to welcome the challenge.

Judy's mouth fell open while she struggled for a response. "Well... he _does_ give me extra whipped cream." She finally settled on, sticking out her tongue to make up for the lack of wit.

"And Betty always brings me the biggest pancakes." He shrugged with a sassy smile.

They both let out a chuckle at that response.

"So I noticed you weren't too shy about calling this a date." Nick added after their laughs died down.

"Well it is, isn't it?" Judy replied matter of factly leaning forward across the table to take one of his paws in his own.

"Not sure why, but I expected you to get a little skittish once we were out in the open. You remember the looks you got when we were apartment hunting? Well now you get to double-up with: 'GASP, a predator and prey dating!' along with just the plain ol' 'You really trust a fox?' looks." He animatedly made impressions of both different voices as he spoke, but Judy could hear the hurt and cynicism behind his humor.

"Hey, 'first bunny police officer', remember?" Judy placed a paw on her chest. "Try growing up in a town full of people that think you're some kind of weirdo for not becoming a farmer or starting a family right out of high school. Trust me, Wilde, I've got a thick hide. A few questioning looks from strangers aren't about to change my mind on anything."

At that point Betty had arrived at the table and placed their drinks in front of them and they gave a quick order.

Handing over his menu, Nick picked up his mug of coffee and held it above the table inviting Judy to clink her juice glass against it. "Here's to not letting them get to us."

They ate and laughed and told stories of past relationships when they were younger and less experienced. It had become a contest to see who had the most ultimate dating failures. Judy's best story was of a buck she had dated for two weeks the summer after high school. It had ended the day after their first serious make out session; when they found out that they were actually cousins.

Nick had had a rather serious relationship with a vixen the year before he had met Judy. They had even moved in together when she confessed that she was actually more interested in vixens over foxes. A rather large bruise to Nick's ego, but he confessed he should have seen the signs.

"Maybe the world was trying to tell us to look beyond the limits of our own species." Nick's bright green eyes lit up as he made his suggestion.

"Maybe it was." Judy agreed.

Just then, Sal, a rotund hippo; the owner and cook of the diner approached their table with all the subtly a hippo could offer. They had exchanged friendly banter with him several times while eating at the counter during a busy lunch rush, but otherwise were only casual acquaintances. It seemed out of place for him to not be standing in the open window to the kitchen.

"Betty here tells me you two are on a date?" He announced in his low rumbling voice.

Nick's eyeline caught Judy's just for a second before he gave a small nod and asked in a calm tone, "Is there a problem, sir?"

"Of course not," He said with a hearty laugh, instantly putting them both at ease. "I just wanted to congratulate you both. Had I not seen you both in uniform time and again, I'm not sure I would have believed that you were only work partners. I always teased Betty that there was something between you two. Does this old cynical heart of mine good to see interspecies couples comfortable to be so out in the open."

"Oh?" Judy asked, completely taken aback by this male's frankness and also a bit confused as to where it had come from.

Sal gestured to a photograph up above the counter of a beautiful zebra. "My wife Ina and I have been together for 22 years now. It wasn't as accepted back then." Despite the sadness of his last comment, his smile was soft and thoughtful. Hippos and mammals without much visible greying hair tended to age less noticeably, but upon closer inspection, the crows feet in his thick dry hide gave him away.

"I've noticed the picture, but I didn't realize that was your wife." Nick commented with a gentleness he rarely used. "She's beautiful, Sal. And she must be quite the sport if she could put up with you all these years."

"Wilde, you don't know the half of it." He tipped his head with a smile before stepping back from the table. "Betty, get these two a slice of pie on the house! Blueberry?" He asked with a smile in the direction of their table.

"You know it! Thanks!" Nick celebrated and Judy swore she could see him drooling already.

"Thank you, Sal." She added with a genuine smile.

"Of course." He repeated back to them on his retreat to the kitchen.

"You see!" Nick threw his hands up in the air. "Even the cook knew there was something between us. It's a sign, Hopps."

A thought hit Judy and her ears lowered as she set an accusing glare in Nick's direction. "You didn't put him up to this, did you?"

"What?! Would I do such a thing?" He wore a look of mock hurt on his face, but after a moment, he scrunched his snout to one side and looked up at the sky as he considered her accusation. "Okay, wait. I totally _would_ do something like that, but you gotta believe me; I only _wish_ I had been so clever as to plan this."

Judy let out a burst of laughter at his disappointment in himself, just as the pie was being delivered.

Several hours of an adventurous date later they found themselves arriving back at the door to their apartment building. They stopped outside, keeping up the charade of a true first date, and the typical ending of being dropped off outside your building.

"So," Nick asked with his ears perking up and forward, already awaiting the answer. "Did I at least live up to all those young bunny suitors that have come before me?"

Judy tipped her head with a smile. Their date had been fantastic to be honest. After brunch they had walked through the park, enjoyed a game of mini-golf (in which they both enthusiastically attempted to best the other), and visited a couple of lesser known areas of the city that Nick wanted to share with her.

It occurred to Judy then, that it hadn't been that incredibly different from an average day off. It was not uncommon for them to enjoy a free day doing things just like this; the familiarity of it made it comforting. The only difference this time; was the addition of holding hands, sitting a bit closer than usual and the added knowledge of how they felt about one another. She was fairly certain Nick had had an equally great time.

"Oh you definitely passed on to 'second-date' level, which is more than I can say for most of those bunnies." She said with a casual shrug as though the revelation should come by no surprise.

Nick made an overly dramatic fist pump in celebration before chuckling at his own antics, causing Judy to shake her head.

"So… you think you're still willing to put up with dating a _fox_?" He stressed the last word. "Not everyone is going to be as accepting as Sal."

Judy's heart constricted again at the look of concern that briefly flitted in his eyes. It saddened her to know that his apprehension came from experience for seeing this city for what it truly was. And maybe she was being overly optimistic, but she was still that little bunny expressing that she wasn't afraid of a challenge, by announcing that 'she didn't know when to quit'. And Nick was absolutely worth fighting for.

Grabbing his paws with her own, she looked up into his bright green gaze. "This feels right, you and I. I think it had just become so familiar that I hadn't even realized exactly what it had turned into. But I'll stick with what I said earlier; I'm in if you are."

Nick leaned down and captured her lips with his own, a move much more intimate than any others he had been willing to take with her throughout their outing that day. Standing on her toes, she wrapped her arms up around his neck and enjoyed the moment.

Breaking apart, Nick couldn't stop himself from glancing around for scowls and disapproving looks, but even the old taxi driver panda parked nearby didn't seem interested enough to look away from his newspaper.

"We kissed...out in public." Judy whispered through a smile, knowing that his large fox ears would catch it. "And the world didn't end."

"No, it didn't." Nick seemed pleasantly surprised by the outcome and turned his focus back to her again.

Returning to their earlier charade, Judy shrugged with a glint in her eye and commented in a conspiratory whisper. "So this is my place, would you like to come up?"

Nick made a mock gasp and placed a hand to his chest. "Judy! Inviting me up to your place on a first date?! How scandalous!"

She playfully shoved him in the side and he gave a little act of stepping off the curb as though the push had actually made him lose his balance.

"You're welcome to stay out here." She suggested with snark.

"Not when staying with you is an option." His voice was suddenly low and amourous. He stepped forward and leaned down into a kiss which she met with fervor.

Breaking apart from him before things could get too heated, she smiled seductively up through half-closed lids. "Well as much as I like proving the world isn't such a judgemental place, I'd rather not make out on the sidewalk. So if you're interested in continuing this, I suggest you follow me."

With that, she gave a wink and then walked through the building's front entrance, leaving him behind to gather his tongue up off the floor.

* * *

 **End chapter 6  
**

 **A/N: Because you all are probably too young to even remember; I have to point out that the line "the world didn't end" in response to a first kiss is straight from The X-Files. When after 7 seasons of will they/won't they the show's leads** _ **finally**_ **had their first kiss. (It was also New Year's Eve 1999, with a very real threat of the world actually ending), but still, I like the reference. ;)**

 **Ok, I hope that you all enjoyed the continuation of where the first part of the story finally picked up! I had so many requests and suggestions of where to follow up in time with the first part, that I actually decided to do a whole bunch of them. I have one last chapter that will bounce across little blips into the future. Should be posted hopefully by tomorrow!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me! Please leave a review! Did you like it? Are you satisfied with their first date?**


	7. Chapter 7 - The future

**A/N - trying a new style of jumping through time a bit, all taking place at subsequent moments in the future.** **Warning: sap-alert, this chapter might make your teeth hurt, it's so sweet.**

* * *

 **3 weeks Post (Jane's) Wedding**

When it came to intimacy, they had started off by taking things slow. But Judy had to admit that the heated make out sessions were becoming less and less satisfying on their own.

Part of her mind reasoned that they had spent the last couple of years together as friends growing closer and gaining that trust that has to be built up within the beginning of a new relationship, and thus why she didn't feel like she was rushing into things. But the other part of her brain was also quite aware of the fact that she was a bunny, and as such, had certain biological needs.

They had gone on only a handful of dates by this point, having to plan around their busy work schedule. But because they already shared an apartment, they had the added benefit of being able to spend their evenings together anyways. Several of these evenings had divulged into rather steamy kissing sessions, but they had always unspokenly decided to stop themselves before they passed a certain point.

Judy was fairly positive Nick wasn't going to reject the idea, but that he was waiting for some kind of signal from her. And as they had sat cuddling, watching some sappy movie on tv, she decided that tonight she'd make her move.

The night had progressed as she'd expected and their cuddling began to include rather passionate kissing. Judy had taken up her new favorite spot of laying right on top of Nick's chest as he wrapped his longer arms behind her, holding her so close that she could feel the heat of his body through the layers of clothes between them. The rough pads of his paws, smoothed down her arms and back, dragging his blunt claws through her short fur and she responded with a satisfied moan.

Breaking from his enclosure, she sat up just long enough to pull her shirt up over her head in one quick motion, enjoying the way his green eyes, darted across her newly revealed front.

"You're so beautiful." He mumbled, not for the first time and she responded with a heavy kiss before reaching down to unbutton his own shirt. Once removed and tossed forgotten to the floor, they had returned back to their rhythm of explorations. Fur of red and grey being ruffled as paws roamed and caressed new areas, satisfied moans and purrs filling the room between heavy breaths.

Because of the difference in their stature Judy was straddling him high enough to almost be at his chest. Wanting to get a better advantage, she ran a paw down over his ears, watching them flick in response as she scratched at the sensitive area between them. Then glided down behind his neck, pulling him forward and urging him to sit up, which allowed her to scoot down into his lap.

Arching his back he leaned down to meet her lips and continued his loving kisses from his new vantage point. Judy –now exactly where she wanted to be– gave her hips a rock back against him in such a way that he would not be able to ignore it.

"Judy!" He gulped back a surprise at her forwardness and then grinned mischievously down at her.

"Nick, I want you." She said in a voice laced with seduction.

She watched as the passion on his face shifted into apprehension before he quickly pushed it from view. "I want you too, Judy…" He was trying not to sound desperate, but the hint of hesitation could also be heard.

"What is it?" She urged, cupping a palm over his cheek to keep him from looking away.

"I'm nervous." He confessed with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm worried I might hurt you." And then as he realized what he had said, he clarified. "What if i crushed you, or scratched you or nicked you with a sharp tooth? Plus… I imagine I'm a bit larger than the average buck."

She could feel the heat rise in his cheeks at the last comment, and couldn't help but blush herself. "So we'll be careful and start off slow." She soothed.

Nick tilted his head to the side to smirk at her with raised brows. "You don't really seem all that interested in moving slowly."

Biting her lip she shook her head at him. "The thing is, Wilde." She made another wiggle, rocking her hips against his lap and watching the way it made his eyes pop. "You know, all those rumors you hear about bunnies and multiplying?" She raised a single brow and paused for added effect. "They're all true."

Nick let out an impressed laugh and a bright grin broke across his face. "Is that so?"

"Mmmmhmm." Judy said, slowly walking her digits up the soft creamy fur in the center of his chest. "What do you say, Fox? You want to learn first hand?"

If possible, Nick's grin widened even more. "You temptress! How can I possibly resist?"

And with that, his paws scooped beneath her rump as he lifted her off the couch to stand. The two frantically kissing as he and carried her stumbling to his bedroom.

* * *

 **1 month P.W. (post-wedding)**

Sitting behind his desk, the great water buffalo leaned back in his chair causing it to creak and crack as he scrutinized the pair standing before him.

"And you're telling me this, why?" He asked, in his typical apathetic way.

The small rabbit glanced over to her partner and he gave her a look that clearly stated this had been her idea.

"Well sir," She started in an uncharacteristically timid way, her ears falling back behind her. "The rules state that any officers involved in an interpersonal work relationship must disclose this to their superior."

Bogo tapped the stack of papers he was holding against the desk in front of him, squaring up their edges before returning them to the open manilla folder. Looking back up at the partners standing before him, he took off his reading glasses and set them aside. "Haven't you been living together for quite some time now? I approved your change of address forms."

Officer Wilde let out a snigger while the rabbit's ears shot back up, flushed from embarrassment.

"But we hadn't been dating then, sir. We were just roommates." She clarified.

"Is that so?" He mused over this for another minute just to enjoy making the over-confident rabbit fluster a bit. "Well as long as this new change doesn't lead to any 'inappropriate conduct' in the office or hinder your work performance in anyway,..." He paused just long enough for both officers to ensure him that it wouldn't. "then I don't care."

He watched as the rabbit perked up, obviously having been worried that he might insist they no longer be partners or some other such nonsense. But the truth of the matter was, the two were among some of his best officers and had behaved as a couple from the very beginning. He was rather certain pairing them up with anyone else would actually lower their performance.

"Thank you, sir! That's all we needed. We'll just be going now." She rattled off all in one breath while simultaneously pushing her partner towards the office door.

He waited until they were outside the threshold and called out just before the door was pulled shut. "Oh, and Hopps - make sure to let Clawhauser know when you two became official. He'll want to know so he can finally close out the office pool."

The rabbit's face was painted in shock, but from behind the door he could hear Wilde exclaim with pride, "I knew it!"

* * *

 **2 months P.W. (post-wedding)**

It was once again the weekend for the two officers and just like they had done many nights since they had moved in as roommates, the two sat cozied up on their small tattered couch watching pointless television until they deemed it too late to stay awake. But now, as a couple, they snuggled up against one another and shared kisses during uninteresting shows. It was one of Nick's new favorite things. To think just a couple of months ago he had been so content simply sitting by her side, he had no idea how much more his life would improve with the inclusion of Judy's affection.

It was a commercial break and Judy had run to the bathroom when her phone began ringing from the coffee table where she'd left it.

Catching the image on the screen he recognized the picture of the elder rabbit, as Judy's mother. Knowing that Judy would only have to call back later, he went ahead and answered with his own toothy grin.

"A good evening to you, Mrs. Hopps." He said in his best snake-oil sales pitch voice. "What's a lovely bunny like yourself up to on this fine summer evening?"

"Oh, Nicholas!" Bonnie replied with a wave of her hand, as though she couldn't possibly take any more compliments. "You are always such a smooth talker."

"So I've been told." He added with a bow of his snout causing her to chuckle.

Fortunately, he had always gotten along quite well with Judy's mother, despite that her father had made his trepidations about having a fox as a roommate quite clear. Nick was 90% positive that at first, it just made Bonnie feel relieved to know that there was a predator keeping her little girl safe, like he was her own personal guard dog of sorts. But over the year they'd lived together and that one Fall harvest he'd ventured down to the Hopps Family Farm with Judy, he'd actually grown quite fond of the matronly rabbit. And he was fairly certain the feeling was mutual.

Whether or not that feeling would remain after Judy dropped the bomb that he was now dating their daughter, was an entirely different discussion.

"Is Judy there, Dear?" She held her paw cupped to the side of her muzzle as though divulging a huge secret. "My neighbor's son, Franco was going to be in the city tomorrow and I was hoping to set her up!"

"Oh." Nick gulped as the last of his bravado quickly faded. He sat up straighter on the sunken couch cushion, holding the phone across from him as he looked for Judy down the hall. "Um, she should just be a minute."

They hadn't been planning to tell her parents about their new relationship for at least a few more weeks, hoping to do so in person. However, they also hadn't planned on her mother springing anymore surprise blind dates. He was about to give some kind of excuse to place her mother on hold when suddenly the rabbit in question was plopping beside him onto the couch.

"Hi mom!" She waved, taking the phone from Nick's paw.

With his face out of view, Nick was giving Judy every silent hand signal he could think of, but wasn't really sure how to pantomime a warning about an unplanned blind date.

Judy was watching him off camera with one raised eyebrow, confused as he frantically gestured at pausing the call when her mother spilled the news about the new young buck that was going to be 'just perfect for her'.

Thanks to the small picture-in-picture screen the Muzzletime call provided, Nick has seen the dumbfounded look he had made when Bonnie had first told him the reason for her call and just now, he was watching Judy repeat that same face.

"Oh mom, that's so nice, but… I'm not available…" Judy finally managed to choke out a sentence.

Nick nodded his head silently, sure, sure keep it vague, perfect plan.

"Oh darn." Her mother scrunched up her face. "I'm sorry sweetie, did you end up having to pick up a shift? Saturdays are usually one of your off days right now, aren't they?"

The corner of Nick's lips curved up, this was perfect. The best way to sell a con, is when they suggest it themselves. All Judy had to do was nod in agreement and they were good to push out this conversation until she was ready.

"Actually, no…" Judy began her reply and he whipped his head up to look at her. _What was she doing?_

He watched as her focus narrowed in on her mother's reaction in the tiny glass window. "... I mean that I am not available because, I'm seeing someone."

Nick felt his own jaw fall open. He knew Judy wasn't one to lie, but he certainly wouldn't have blamed her for providing a little fib to postpone this conversation until they were better prepared with their answer. He was pleasantly surprised by her bravado and felt a swell of pride.

Bonnie let out a shout of joy that he was positive their neighbors could have heard. "Stu, Stu! Judy's been seeing someone!" She yelled off camera until her equally stout husband joined her on the screen.

"Judy, you sneaky little rabbit, your mother has been worried sick that you weren't ever going to find a mate," Stu's voice rang out of the speaker. "I mean, it's just not normal for a rabbit your age to not even be considering settling down-" Thankfully Stu's rant was cut short with a jab to his ribcage from his wife.

"Tell us about him, dear… or her." Bonnie added the extra option at the end and that made Nick's brows pop up in surprise.

Just then Judy looked up at him with questioning lavender eyes. Flickering lights from the muted television reflected in those large orbs as she silently verified it was okay to continue.

If she thought he'd ever turn this down, she was crazy. He felt a lump form in his throat and he nodded quickly, the tip of his snout bobbing up and down in a foolish manner.

"Well, you see, the thing is. Mom, Dad,...try not to freak out, but well..." She paused to take a breath as though steeling her nerves. "It's Nick. I'm dating Nick."

She turned the phone to place Nick back in view and he was so caught off guard that all he could manage was a weak smile and a silly little wave of his fingers.

As though the image of him on the screen was enough to shatter the last of her father's hopes that he had possibly misheard, he let out a little gasp of shock. Bonnie, on the other hand managed to stick with a more civil sound of polite surprise.

With the phone aimed back at herself, Judy reached out an arm and pulled Nick in beside her to get him in the frame. For not the first time in his life, he was thankful for the reddish tint in his fur to hide the flushed embarrassment he could feel rising in his cheeks.

"Oh Honey. I'm so happy for you two!" Bonnie finally spoke and surprisingly her tone was genuine.

"Really?" Judy asked, immediately after she gave Nick's paw a little squeeze as though she felt guilty for asking such things in front of him.

"Absolutely Sweetie. You two have always been close, closer than any other friend I ever remember you having, I can't say I'm surprised." Bonnie explained with a soft smile, the aged creases in the corner of her eyes making it feel even warmer.

Beside her, Stu stood looking a little shocked at her admission, having obviously not been part of her internal musings on the subject.

"Thanks Mom, that really means a lot to me." Judy spoke into the screen, a hitch in her words.

"To both of us." Nick managed to find his own voice and tried his very best to share a non-flabbergasted smile.

"Of course." Bonnie nodded before promptly changing up the subject. "Well then, we best let you two lovebirds return to your evening off." And with a gesture to the side, she added. "Give your dad a few days to let it sink in, but he'll come around."

Having heard himself being referenced, Stu looked up and nodded with a weak smile. "Love you, Jude."

"Love you guys!" Judy replied with a wave at the camera.

"Love from us all, Sweetie." Her mom added. "Goodnight."

And with that the screen went black before shifting back to her wallpaper photo of her and Nick on his graduation day from the academy.

Judy turned to Nick with a trepidatious look on her face. "Sorry, I hope that was oka-"

But before she could finish her sentence Nick has engulfed her in a hug. "Thank you, you have no idea how much that meant to me. I've dated other _foxes_ that were ashamed to admit they were with me."

Still wrapped in his arms, she spoke into his shoulder. "I could never be ashamed of you Nick. I hope you know that, I was just waiting, hoping we could tell them in person, but I guess we made do."

"It was perfect and you are amazing. Thank you." And he kissed the top of her head as she nestled into his arms.

* * *

 **5 months P.W. (post-wedding)**

It was much later than usual when they returned home that night. The door creaked in a particularly eerie way as if to emphasize the silence between them. Neither had muttered more than a couple of words since the EMTs had given Nick the green light to head out. He'd be sore and sporting a good sized bruise hidden beneath his fur, but the kevlar vest had done it's job to prevent the bullet from making it's way to it's intended target. He was fine, but it had been a close call.

The fox pushed the door shut and clicked the deadbolts into place, turning back to see his petite girlfriend standing across from him. Her arms were crossed tightly in front of her and she wore a look of anger as her foot thumped rapidly.

Nick took a big sigh, before drawling out in his best careless imitation. "Long day, huh?"

"I'm not in the mood to kid right now." Judy's glare tightened.

During his check-up, his uniform top had been removed and he'd carried it home in one paw. Standing there in just the pants and a white undershirt, he turned to hang the top on the hook by the front door. "Look, Judy. I'm not sure why you're so mad at me, but I'm really sore and tired, so can we fight about this tomorrow?"

"Mad! You think I'm MAD?" Judy all but screamed into the dark apartment. But stopped herself when he spun around to give her a look. "Nick, I was so scared tonight..." And like that, her resolve snapped and the stone face of anger dissolved into tears.

Nick immediately reached out, lowering himself to one knee to be at her height and wrapped her in his arms. His fluffy tail encircling around them. "Oh Carrots, it's okay. I'm okay."

"When...when I saw… you go down..." Judy was trying to talk between sobs. "I was so scared."

"Shhh. I know. I know. I was scared too." Nick ran a soothing paw down over her ears that laid against her back and let her cry into his shoulder.

Holding her as she cried, his memory flashed back to that moment; the suspect had been unassuming, nothing threatening about him, the gun he had pulled from the waist of his pants had been unexpected. Nick had not even been able to unholster his own tranq gun before the shot had hit him square in the chest. It had been loud, so loud that his large fox ears were still ringing. The force of the shot had knocked him flat to his back, causing his own breath to hitch in his throat. And it had hurt, a lot. It took at least a fraction of a second before he realized that his injuries were superficial and in that instant it had indeed been terrifying.

As her tears eased up, she pressed a delicate paw into the spot on his chest where the vest had saved a bullet from piercing him. And he laid his own large paw on top of hers. "Hey, I'm okay." He reassured her.

And suddenly her paw slid from his chest up along the fur of his neck and cupped his cheek. Pulling his muzzle in closer to hers as she kissed him desperately. Their arms intertwined as they wrapped around one another, their kisses growing more heated and frantic.

Judy broke away from his lips and held his muzzle still between her palms, tipping his eyes down to meet hers. "I love you." She whispered before planting another kiss on his nose. "I love you so much. I keep waiting for this perfect romantic moment to tell you how much I love you, and when I saw you knocked down, when I thought...just for one moment that I may have missed my chance…" She choked back a sob as her tears snuck back up on her. "I love you so much, Nicholas Piberius Wilde."

Judy's confession caused his own dam to break and suddenly tears he hadn't even realized he was holding back were sliding down his face. He felt his chest constrict and a sense of relief that it was not caused by the growing bruise, but by the female in his arms that loved him back. "And I love you, Judith Laverne Hopps."

He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to bed, where they remained for the following two days of required time off, curled up in the embrace of the one they loved.

* * *

 **7 months P.W.**

"So here's something crazy that happened at my physical today."

Judy spoke up from where they had been sitting in their small kitchen enjoying a takeout meal. It had been a long day of work, made even longer when Judy had her required yearly physical added to the end of it. She had walked in the front door a good 2 hours later than usual, greeted by the delicious smell of curried veggies and forced herself to sit down and relax before she shared her thoughts with Nick.

Nick looked up from his plate with an ear cocked and one eyebrow raised waiting for the rest of her story. She gulped, realizing that he could already sense her nerves, making her even more flustered to bring up the topic.

"The doc asked me what I was using for birth control." She lead with a teaser. "I mean, I'm sure they ask all female cops, but being a bunny, probably makes me more of a 'risk'." She giggled nervously.

"To which you explained that you're dating a fox." Nick supplied the next line, holding his fork in his paw in front of him, waiting for her to acknowledge this.

Judy nodded, "Yep. I told her that I was focused on my career right now and seeing as how my boyfriend was a different species, I didn't have much to worry about."

Nick seemed annoyed that she was leaving something out and was using his detective skills to try and fill in the rest. "She didn't give you a hard time for that, right?"

"Oh no, nothing like that." Judy spoke up, not meaning to have implied such a thing. She was met with a look from Nick that clearly stated he was done waiting.

"She explained that if I wasn't yet ready for a family, then we should be using another method to 'effectively prevent pregnancy'." Judy used air quotes to demonstrate that those had been the doctor's exact words.

"Wait, what?" Nick sat his fork down on this plate and met her eyes straight on. "Are you telling me that it's _possible_ for us to have children together?"

"Apparently so. She explained that it was uncommon, perhaps even unlikely, but not impossible."

"Wow." Judy watched his eyes intently as he seemed to mull over this new information. After a moment he looked up at her, his face devoid of any obvious opinion on the matter and asked, "So how do you feel about that? We've never really talked about kids."

Judy shrugged and looked down at her plate, she honestly wasn't sure how she felt. It was true, they had yet to return to the "kids talk" since Nick had mentioned it that very first night. But she had always accepted that it was going to be more of a talk about adoption, and she knew that talk was far off, seeing as how they weren't even married.

"Honestly, I don't know." She finally confessed in a timid voice. "Do you want to have children someday?"

Her boyfriend crossed his arms and leaned his elbows onto the table in front of him, while looking up at the ceiling as though he needed to toil over the subject. "Even before I met you, I had assumed it just wasn't in the cards for me. Ya, know?"

Judy nodded, but stayed silent so he could continue. "And then I fell in love with this very career-driven bunny and figured if anything, we could consider adoption further down the road." He broke into a grin and met her eyes again, instantly sending this sense of relief washing over her that they were on the same page.

"You want children, right?" Nick now asked her point blank.

Judy considered this for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I do. I mean, eventually."

Nick nodded with her, having expected that response.

Returning to his meal, he took another bite before breaking into more of a daydreaming tone. "How many were you thinking? Unless you want to move back out to the countryside, we're not going to have room for hundreds of kits."

Despite the relative seriousness of the topic Judy saw her opening and couldn't resist taking it. "Oh I was thinking only 2 or 3…" She waited until he had gone for a drink of his water before adding, "... _dozen_."

She was rewarded with the intended reaction when Nick practically choked on his drink, sputtering and coughing. His eyes had gone large and round and when he met hers, she couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Oh that was cruel, Carrots. Just plain cruel." He coughed again, shaking his head.

Judy's eyes watered from laughter and she tilted her head to the side. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, but I'm not about to raise a whole burrow like my parents. I was thinking 3 kits; max."

"Ok, that sounds much more reasonable to the fox that was an only pup." He let out his own laugh, not able to resist her playfulness.

They finished their dinner and Judy was scrubbing the last plate clean in a sink full of soapy water when Nick came up behind her with a kiss to her neck.

"So… did you arrange for a contraceptive then, or do I need to run to the corner store?" He asked in a playful manner, kissing her again right at her pulse point.

Judy leaned her head to the side to allow him better access as her eyes fluttered shut. But after another few gentle pecks, she was brought back to reality.

"I have a crazy suggestion." She offered, spinning around from the sink to face her attentive boyfriend.

If Nick had ever given her a suspicious look before, none could have possibly lived up to the one he gave her after that statement.

"The doctor explained that two different species creating life wasn't entirely impossible, but it also wasn't very likely…if we ever wanted to have kids of our own..."

Immediately grasping her suggestion, Nick stood straight and looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you want to gamble with that? _IF_ there's any possibility, it could happen before you're ready."

Judy grabbed him by the paws and responded with confidence. "Who are we to deny the improbable from even having a chance?"

Nick's eyes lit up in a way that made Judy's heart melt. She had an inkling that he would be completely alright with this suggestion. He grabbed her around the middle squashing her in a tight hug. "I'm certainly not one to deny a miracle. I'm in if you are."

* * *

 **8 months P.W.**

A harsh chill rustled through their fur as they stepped off the train and onto the platform at Bunny Burrow. The wintery weather, had resulted in a significantly smaller crowd of bunnies to greet them at the station, but in Nick's opinion, it was still too many.

The Burrow was located in a mildly temperate area, but the heart of December still enjoyed it's rather blustery days such as this one. Nick pulled his scarf tighter, thankful for the thickness of his natural fur coat and grabbed his suitcase. He set off following the herd of bobbing bunny ears, knowing that Judy had been pulled along somewhere amongst them.

It wasn't until they were packed into the warm and cozy confines of the Hopps family burrow, left on his own after Judy had been lead away by a sister, that Nick started to notice the stares. Of course it didn't help that he was the only non-rabbit in the whole lot, which also left him standing a good foot taller than every other mammal there. Blending in wasn't exactly an option.

He had expected the looks, sure, but even though his hearing was not as impressive as that of the bunnies around him, he was a bit surprised by the many whispers of "Judy's new boyfriend". Apparently he had become the hot new topic for the hundreds of tiny siblings and cousins that surrounded him.

He cocked a large red ear and caught a few of the conversations flittering about the room. "He's so tall." "Why isn't he dating a fox?" "What does Judy see in him?" "Look how sharp his teeth are, how do they even kiss?" "I guess he is kind of handsome."

Feeling as though there was a spotlight shining down on him and nowhere to hide, he was relieved to hear the familiar soft voice of Judy's mother. "Oh Nicholas! I'm so glad you made it out to visit!"

She approached him with her arms wide open for a hug and Judy following along behind her. Leaning down into her offered arms, he accepted the embrace with a thankful sigh.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to the station for your arrival, but I've been up to my ears in cooking all day." She explained.

"It's not a problem at all Mrs. Hopps. Thank you for inviting me to join in your holiday celebrations." He tipped his head down with a soft a smile, trying his darndest to keep his sharper teeth hidden from all the skittish eyes watching them.

"Of course! You're an important part of Judy's life, which means you're a part of ours too. And please, call me Bonnie." She stepped back from his embrace and nudged Judy around closer to his side. "Judy dear, help the poor boy find his way to your room, so he can put his stuff down and get away from all these nosey eyes for a little while."

"There seems to be a debate amongst your siblings on whether or not I'm frightening or handsome." He stated as they arrived in her small bedroom, dropping their suitcases onto the floor in the corner.

"Oh, ignore them." Judy laughed with a wave of her paw through the air. "A bunny dating a fox is about the most exciting thing that ever happened in this boring little town. They're just thrilled to feel like part of the action."

"So glad I can provide entertainment." He deadpanned.

Judy laughed as she collapsed back onto her bed, knocking off childhood plushies in all directions. She propped her head up in one paw and batted her eyes at him."Would a little make out session cheer you up?"

Nick pretended to think it over before running to leap onto the bed, catching himself on his front paws to avoid crushing her beneath him. Judy squealed in joy as more plushies were jolted to the floor by his swishing tail.

"But you gotta keep quiet, I guarantee there's at least 2 dozen ears pressed against my door right now. The small rabbit below him, whispered into his ear as she stroked a paw up underneath his shirt.

Nick pulled back, pressing up on his forearms and looked over at the door in reference. "Well then stop screaming like that or they're going to think I'm eating you alive in here!"

Judy's laughter rang out down the hall.

The evening was filled with an amazing feast; Nick had never seen so much food before in all of his life. Judy explained that typically they eat in shifts, but holiday dinners were the few meals a year they all gathered to eat together. The six long oak tables were packed to the brim with the oldest of the clan, leaving the younger ones to gather in groups seated on the floor, covering every square inch of the large cavernous room.

There was a cacophony of noise as everyone chatted and laughed and a few of the younger ones were even singing festive carols. Nick had to focus to hear the conversation at the table right in front of him and a stray thought made him wonder if this was why rabbits had especially large ears.

Currently, several of Judy's brothers-in-law were grilling him with the standard 'you best be treating her right' type questions. He didn't really mind, since they seemed to be in good nature, and nothing along the lines of fearing for her life, or judging her poorly for being with a fox. Despite a few of the family member's obvious concerns over a predator dating a rabbit, Judy's comfort around him and his many years of practiced charm, appeared to be winning them over.

Several of the adults across the table held one or even two infants in an arm, while eating with the other. Judy reached to take an extra kit into her own empty arms, but whether it was a sibling or a niece, he had no idea. Nick couldn't help the little skip his heart made to see her kiss the tiny bundle she held. He lost himself watching her as he poked at the pile of carrots and various other vegetables on his plate.

He was caught off guard when Stu, who had yet to approach him since his arrival, appeared beside the table with a small dish. Setting it next to Nick he announced in explanation, "I picked up a shepherd's pie from Gideon's shop. Figured you'd want some real protein to go along with all these veggies."

The smell had already hit Nick's keen fox nose and he could detect a delectable aroma of insect protein and some kind of gravy wafting up from the small platter. He turned to Stu and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you sir, it smells wonderful."

Stu tugged at his overalls with a silent nod and then made his way back over to his spot at another table.

"Holy crap!" Benny, one of Judy's older brothers leaned in from further down the table. "Did that really just happen?"

"Seriously, he's never done anything that nice for me." Complained another brother-in-law with a pout.

Judy leaned in from her place beside him and gave him a peck on the lips. "Guess the idea of you and I has grown on him." She said with a smile. "I told you it would eventually."

The chaos that was dinner rolled over into the evening. The house was broken up into various forms of entertainment across several locations. Some decorated the many trees that were spread through the living rooms, a group was baking and icing cookies in the kitchen, while another was singing carols near the largest hearth in the main room. The feeling of joy was contagious and Nick couldn't help the smile as several young rabbits hung off of him, using his limbs as a living ladder to reach the higher branches of the tallest tree.

"Every year is like this?" He asked between bouts of laughter. Trying to keep steady so that the tiny bunny standing between his ears could hang his ornament.

"Every year!" Both Judy and two other rabbits giggled in response, passing up another round of ornaments to the kits.

The last night of their visit, it was quite late into the evening and most all of the younger kits had long since gone to bed. The adults roamed the burrow, and Judy was amongst the many who were visiting and quietly chatting in any open room available.

Having slipped away, it had taken Nick quite some time, but he'd finally located Judy's father on the back porch, sipping a cup of what he could smell was a rich coffee.

He looked up as Nick stepped out onto the porch and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Nick took that as a sign that it was alright to join him and sat down on the step beside him, unable to stop the shiver that ran over him once the crisp air hit his fur.

"This is some fantastic home you have built here, sir." He gestured out around him.

"Thanks, I am rather proud of it. And each and every one of my kits." Stu replied, taking another sip from the steaming mug.

They sat in silent for a few minutes, both staring up at the stars flickering in the still winter night sky.

Stu was the first to break the silence. "I want you to know that I give all my daughter's suitors a hard time, it's not just 'cause you're a fox. I mean sure, I know it took me a little while longer to warm up to you, but I can see that you make my Judy very happy; and that makes me happy."

"Thank you sir, I'm glad to hear you say that." Nick's tail swept behind him along the porch and he swallowed back a lump of fear as his heart started to race. "The thing is, I actually had a question to ask you."

Stu lowered his mug and turned to look at Nick. "I sure hope you aren't about to ask me if you can marry my daughter."

Nick audibly gulped and tried to hide the panic on his face. He could feel his heartbeat pulse in his ears as he desperately scrambled for a response, but Stu carried on before he could come up with something.

"Because you and I know darn well that Judy does as she pleases. Doesn't make any difference what I think on the subject. That's a decision for her to make, not me."

Nick stared at Stu in surprise and watched a small smile form on the older rabbit's face. He was absolutely right and it pleased Nick to see that her father knew her so well. He was simply trying to meet expectations and offer to proper amount of respect by requesting permission. It was not the type of situation to beg forgiveness later.

Stu stared out at the starry sky over the fields for a beat before following up with another comment that would surprise the fox. "But because I also know what she's going to say, let me be the first one to officially welcome you into the family."

Nick blinked back a tear as his body fought against his nerves that were no longer needed. For not the first or last time in his life, he asked himself how he had been so lucky to meet someone like Judy and all of her amazing 250 plus family members that came with her.

"Thank you sir." Was all he could manage in a faint cracked voice.

"Of course Nick, but call me Stu, okay?"

Nick nodded a little too enthusiastically, knowing that looking back on this he'd probably feel silly about it, but for now he was too happy to care. "Okay, Stu."

* * *

 **9 months P.W.**

Nick sat staring straight ahead, watching the blurs of lights and tunnel whip by as he was rocked by the jostle of the subway car. He placed an arm around Judy who sat beside him, and she nestled in closer, tucking her long ears back so that she could lay her head on his shoulder.

They were on their way home after having spent a very long day on the far end of the Nocturnal District visiting his mother. The elderly vixen was in poor health and had been suffering from dementia for many years. It had been a difficult decision to finally bring Judy to meet her, but despite the fact the his mom wouldn't remember, he was still glad to have finally introduced his mother to the love of his life.

He smiled at the thought and tilted his head to the side to lean onto the velvety fluff from Judy's smoothed back ears. Just as he let his eyes fall shut, he heard a rather pointed scoff.

Cracking open one eye he noticed the male goat sitting across from them. The short-horned billy had his arms crossed in front of him and a disapproving glare pointed their way.

Nick had spent much of his life training himself to ignore the judgemental looks of others, but it was the type of day when he was just not in the mood. Sitting up taller in his seat he opened both eyes and looked directly at the goat across from him. "You got a problem, buddy?" A low growl was evident behind his words.

His voice had stirred Judy from her nap beside him and she too sat up, a confused look on her face.

"Yeah guy." The goat pointed with an angry hoofed hand at the two of them. "Keep your disgusting displays of abominations at home."

Nick felt Judy's small paw on his wrist, silently urging him to not react, but he was already leaping up onto his feet. "What's your problem! We're just sitting here!"

"I think I made myself clear, FOX. It ain't natural what you two sickos are doing." He sneered.

Nick somewhat registered that other mammals were now watching their interactions from all across the subway car. A mother kangaroo and her small joey sat further down shaking her head. And a large tiger near the rear had also stood up, perhaps preparing to break up a fight.

The goat continued on with his prodding, speaking louder as he went. "Creepy pred, getting his jollies with a poor little prey."

"Hey now." Judy popped up from her plastic seat, her ears up straight to stand tall beside him. "There's no call for such behavior."

"What's the matter you little tramp?" The goat sneered in a condescending tone. "Not enough other bunnies around to screw?"

Nick pointed a rather sharp looking claw right into the goat's face. "Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

All at once, the kangaroo gasped, Judy balled up her fists and the tiger began approaching from his end of the car, just as the goat placed both his hooven hands on Nick's shoulders and shoved him backwards.

"Oh that's it!" Nick swung out and his right paw connected with the goat's jaw, knocking him off balance as the speeding subway car rocked on its tracks. The goat swung back, but Nick deftly ducked and dodged.

"Knock it off! The both of you!" Judy hollered from somewhere beside him, and just as Nick paused to locate her, the goat landed a fist into the end of his muzzle. He stumbled back a step, grasping his snout as it began to bleed.

Before he could retaliate, Judy was between them. Holding her badge up as a sort of symbolic stop sign. Even the tiger stopped his approach.

"One more move and I'm arresting you!" She commanded in a voice much louder than her small stature implied possible. Whipping her glare back towards Nick, she added. "The both of you!"

As if on cue the subway car screeched as it came to a halt, the doors binging open automatically and new riders began filing in.

"Yeah whatever, this is my stop anyways." The goat grumbled, straightening his shirt, before pushing through the crowd and out the open doors. Passing by the tiger that seemed relieved he did not need to intervene.

Judy hooked her badge onto her belt and turned to Nick, head tilted to one side. Her face was lacking in judgement and instead seemed to be filled with concen. Getting a good look at him, she began rummaging through her purse and handed over a tissue for his bleeding nose.

The doors binged again before shutting and the car lurched as it started up. Judy took her seat and waited for him to join her. Once he finally sat she laid a soft paw atop his, but they rode the rest of the way in silence until they reached their stop.

Back up on the street level, they paused to pull their jackets closed against the chill of the night air.

"Are you okay?" Judy finally spoke, her voice soft. She tugged on his jacket to get him to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled, unable to meet her eyes. "Sorry, I should have just ignored him."

"I get it Nick, it was a rough day and he was baiting you." She reached a small velvety paw up to his cheek and tipped his chin down so she could look into his eyes. "And despite the fact that I threatened to arrest you, I hope you still know that I was also proud of you for standing up for us. For me. Just maybe try to resist using your fists next time."

Nick let out a low chuckle. "Yes, officer m'am, I will."

"There's always gonna be some jerk that feels like sharing his judgments. And I really don't want to explain to Bogo why I had to arrest my own partner, so let's just keep on avoiding that okay?"

"Deal." Nick nodded, knowing that she was right.

"Now kiss me, right here on this crowded street, so we can be reminded that most of the world is comprised of decent mammals."

With a smirk he leaned down and met her lips. Not a soul around them made a sound.

* * *

 **10 months P.W.**

Judy had always been on the fence about Valentine's Day. On one paw, she saw that it was mostly a fake holiday made up by card companies, but on the other, she couldn't deny that she wanted to take part in it.

As it turned out, both her and Nick had ended up working that night and it passed by without another thought. It was the first time that she had been officially dating someone when the holiday had come around and she had to admit, she was a little disappointed that they didn't do _anything_. So after several days had gone by, she was not quick to catch on when Nick announced he wanted to take her out to dinner.

"It's so cold and blustery, we could just order in." She shrugged from her place beneath a heavy blanket, where she sat cuddled into the couch reading a book.

Nick walked further into the room with the type of grin he wore when planning something like a heist. "Well, I was actually thinking more along the lines of a romantic night out; we can dress up and everything." He added a little wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh, like an actual date night?" She asked with big eyes and her ears perked up with interest.

"Yeah, like an actual date night." He sat down on the edge of the couch, and she scooted her feet out of the way to make room. "It's been awhile since we've had a nice one, and I know you were bummed we had to work on Valentine's Day."

Judy blushed and ducked behind her book. _Had she really been so transparent?_

"You don't have to be embarrassed." He said, though his voice was full of teasing. "If my girlfriend wants to be wined and dined, then my girlfriend shall get what she wants!"

Judy lowered her book and set a guilty-as-charged look about her.

"The reservations are already set, be ready to head out at 6. Evening wear is requested." He said the last line in his best suave 007 voice, making her laugh as intended.

The main area of Zootopia ran with no artificial climate, and thus in the heart of February it was rather cold and wintery. However, as soon as they crossed over the border and stepped into the Rainforest District, the everyday warmth of the muggy humid air was welcome.

Just as Nick had promised, they spent their evening being wined and dined. It seemed he still had connections with a chef who now ran one of the most famous omnivore restaurants in all of Zootopia. Nick had not opted to share the explicit details of how they knew one another, but he may have helped him smuggle in a few of the harder to obtain spices and spirits that were not allowed to pass district boundaries. Filiberto, a large grizzly bear had greeted them when they arrived at their special chef's table in the kitchen and he wasted no time in showing them one of the best meals either had ever enjoyed.

The restaurant which sat high in the canopy of the central district, had one of the most spectacular views of the city and Nick had brought Judy out onto the back patio to join in the dance floor that surrounded the bar.

They had definitely gotten a few looks from the ritzy type that often visited such establishments. But fortunately they also seemed to at least know better than to cause a scene. And so the mis-matched couple enjoyed their evening, dancing under the stars.

Finally, as they headed home, Nick routed them across a few extra bridges until they were catching the scenic skytram that crossed over the main expanse of the district. He held the door for her as she stepped in, a little more giggly than usual from the wine they had enjoyed with dessert, and found her place to lean on the railing. He climbed in behind her and took his place by her side, both looking down into the darkness twinkling with street lamps and cars below them.

Spinning around as though it had just occurred to her, she looked up into his eyes with a large smile. "Do you remember that first time we rode this tram together?"

"Of course I do, Carrots. You saved my life that night." He smiled at the memory, despite how terrifying it had been at the time.

"And you saved my career, when nobody else would stand up for me." She nudged up against his side. "And look at us now, partners in the field and partners in life. What a turn of events, huh?"

She reached to lay a paw over his that grasped the railing, much as she had done that very first night. Only this time she nestled her head into his shoulder, seeking comfort in his closeness. "I love you so much, Nick."

"And I love you, Judy."

They stood rocking in the gentle swing of the tram as it glided through the treetops, a warm breeze dancing across their fur.

"You know, Judy." Nick spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between them, causing Judy to look up at the tall fox beside her. "You didn't just save my life that night. You reminded me what it was like to have someone believe in me, that I could be more than the stereotype the word stamped on me. That I was worth being loved."

Judy was struck by his words, he'd told her as much many times before, that without her, he'd still be a low-life criminal pulling cons and living in broken down vans. But she had never felt that she deserved all the credit he offered. His heart was good, he had just needed a push in the right direction.

She opened her mouth to say as much, when Nick pulled his paw out from under hers. For half a moment, she thought he might be moving to sit on the tram's bench behind them, when she realized he had lowered himself onto one knee.

 _Oh my god_. Her heart began racing and it was then she realized that she could hear his own heart hammering away as well. Letting go of the railing she turned to face him fully, just as he pulled a small box from his suit coat pocket to reveal a sparkling ring.

"I know that I've already told you that I considered you my lifemate, and that I said it would be enough. But now that our relationship has blossomed into something more than I ever could have hoped for, I want to officially spend the rest of my life reminding you of the same things you taught me; That you're so much more than the little rabbit the world sees. And despite our outside differences, you're not only my best friend, but my soulmate. Judith Hopps, would you marry me?"

She felt the warm tears on her cheeks before she had even realized they were there. Frantically nodding her head, causing her ears to bounce behind her, she choked back a sob long enough to get out her answer, "Yes!"

Nick looked as nervous as she did and fortunately his kneeled down position in front of her placed him more easily within kissing height. Her arms wrapped around his neck as their lips met with passion. With breaths between kisses she reminded him of her answer. "Yes… yes… Yes!"

* * *

 **1.5 years P.W.**

The sound of clinking glassware echoed through the warm summer air of the tent, drowning out the band's music as bunnies and police officers gathered around tapping the edge of their drinks with a claw or a hoof.

Nick and Judy were in the center of the dance floor, whispering promises of love to one another, when they were pulled from the moment by the joyous clinking chant.

"I believe our guests are requesting another kiss my dear wife." Nick grinned down at the gorgeous bunny in his arms.

"Well, then we shouldn't keep them waiting." Judy said with her own sly tone and a wink.

The crowd's taunt continued until finally they leaned in to share a kiss. The room erupted in howls and cheers as soon as their lips met.

Continuing their dance around the floor, Judy laid her head against his chest and they swayed in rhythm to the melody.

"Do you remember the first time we danced together at a wedding?" Judy looked up with a smile in her eyes.

"Do I?" Nick exaggerated. "Of course I do, Jane's still trying to get some credit for helping us get together, since it was her wedding."

He spun them around so they could both get a good look at the antelope and her husband in the small crowd of officers off to one side of the large outdoor tent. Standing next to Clawhauser, they both appeared to be so excitedly happy that they might burst at any moment.

"Although," Nick tipped his muzzle down lower, despite knowing that her ears would have no problem picking him up, even with the loud music. "We really could almost give more credit to your date; Chad was it?"

Judy leaned back from his chest so she could look up into his face, her own painted with confusion. "My date?"

"Well sure." He shrugged in response, before dipping her back and then pulling her up into a spin. "Had he not been such a terrible date, we probably wouldn't have ended up dancing together. And thus I wouldn't have been put in the situation of being inebriated and so vulnerable in your tiny bunny arms, spilling my secrets to you."

Judy threw her head back as she laughed. "Vulnerable? Ha!"

"What? Your big ol' eyes and that questioning stare you set on someone is hard to resist." Nick chuckled even as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Although reallllly," Nick dragged out the last word which made Judy raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "You could also say my popsicle scam is to thank for how we actually met."

As he expected, she rolled her eyes at his suggestion. "I thought we decided not to bring that up?" She poked his side with a finger. And he knew she still felt a little ashamed for the reason she followed him into the store that day, but honestly, he was glad it happened because of the results it had led to.

"I think _you_ decided that, Carrots." He tipped an ear down towards her, and spun her out before rolling her right back into his grip, his tail wrapping up around her.

"Well, no matter who gets the credit, I'm glad it happened." She choose not to bicker over the details. "I'm glad we found each other."

"I knew I could be happy as simply your lifemate, Judy. But I never knew how much more incredible being your husband could be."

"You've only been my husband for about 2 hours, Nick." She teased.

"And that's how much better it is!"

They continued their dance, and as they moved about the floor, Nick looked out at the crowd. Their work family, the ones that could make the trip to Bunny Burrow, gathered at one side of the tent. All laughing and chatting and drinking and dancing, and simply providing so much support just by being there.

Flash and Priscilla sat at another table and the one near that had a special platform on top for Fru Fru and her family, including her eldest daughter, Judy. Finnick could be spotted too, trying his best to avoid socializing with any of the police officers, and instead opting reluctantly to visit with some bunnies.

And my goodness were there bunnies, so many bunnies, –Judy's entire family was there– spilling out of all sides of the several large tents and out into the fields of the Hopps Family Farm. Stu and Bonnie stood out from the crowd, surprisingly absent a young kit in either of their arms, simply holding each other as they happily gazed upon them.

If he and Judy ever doubted the world and whether or not their love would be accepted, they only had to think back on this night to recall all the support their family and friends provided them.

To think that just a few years back Nick was fine with his life. Content with surviving on scams, and living in slums; convinced that a life of solitude was enough. But now as he looked over this tent full of mammals who had all become an important part of his life, the most important at his side, Nick was happy to admit that he couldn't have been more wrong.

 **~Fin~**

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, that was the sappiest bunch of smushy romance that I've ever written. I tried to stick to the important moments in their life, and well, those were going to be the happy sappy moments, because you know these two deserve a happily ever after.**

 **Also, I _really tried_ to keep this short. Jumping through time in little segments was kind of a new experiment for me and dang was it hard to be succinct. It takes every bit of my willpower to not delve into details and backstory at every turn. So sorry about the length!  
**

 **Overall this fic was only going to be the first part (chap 1 &2), but then I got sucked into this little world and that's where the rest of it spun off from - which is why the time jumps around so oddly. Hopefully it wasn't too darn confusing. **

**Couple of shout outs: I snuck in a small reference to the beautifully drawn Wildehopps comic Inter Schminter by Spinthrella, which includes an 'orgy of plushies' atop Judy's childhood bed. Ha! Seriously, go check out this comic on DeviantArt. Also, a** **nother thanks to xxFirestarxx for the beta!**

 **I'm not really sure I agree with my own head cannon about Nick's mother, other than I do believe that she's still alive. Honestly, I kept her as a side note to prevent this chapter from getting any longer - sorry Nick's mom.**

 **Please let me know what was your favorite moment? Was there one you didn't like? One you felt I left out? Leave me a review or a comment - you wouldn't believe how happy they make me!**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!**


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